Darkness Devours
by kaz24
Summary: When Lindsey returns to LA to ask Angel to help a girl doomed to live with the memory of her true love's death, he finds not only answers, secrets and lies but that his life is once again in danger.
1. Default Chapter

Darkness_Devours

Darkness Devours  
  
By Kaz Jack  
  
Summary - When Lindsey decides to return to LA to seek Angel's help in ending the suffering of a girl doomed to live with the memory of her one true love's death, he finds not only answers, secrets and lies, but also that his life is once again in danger.  
  
Rating - 16+  
  
Disclaimer - Oh how I wish that I held the power that Joss and his godly writers do, but I don't...I can only aspire to write a good read and play with the characters so perfectly created by their hands :)  
  
Feedback - I'll beg if need be ;)  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Oh goodness infinite, goodness immense, That all of this good of evil shall  
produce, And evil turn to good" - Paradise Lost  
  
He had watched her from afar for so long, his eyes had traced her delicate features until he could see them when he closed his eyes at night and yet now, while he tried to convince his legs to move and his heart to stop thumping, it was as though he had just caught sight of her for the first time.  
  
The loneliness had yet to leave him and he wondered if he was cursed to have it as a companion for the rest of his days along with the heavy weight of his heart and conscience. So many mistakes, so much to feel guilty about and no-one to share in, or relieve, the memories of his past in any way.  
  
He supposed it was divine retribution and that he would have to get used to it before he found himself burning for eternity in hell and at night these thoughts would rouse him from his slumber via cold sweats and shivers.  
  
The fact was that he could die at any time, that while at this very moment he was working hard to build his life back up again, at any second it could be snatched so horribly from him. Would they really just let him go so easily, evil hand or not? Wolfram and Hart had made their mark and gained loyalty from fear and murder alone surely they would not allow him to embarrass them so?  
  
This had made his attempts at his new life seem pointless and futile and was the very reason he had not sought solace in a relationship of any kind. Sure, he didn't really care what they did to him, after all he had nothing much to lose in the long run, but he just couldn't put someone else at risk. Until now.  
  
It was as though she lit up the room with her smile, even though it seemed subdued compared to her companions, as though she too were locked in some sort of cell of misery and reprisal and he wondered if that was why he was currently experiencing nerves like never before, not even when he was sitting in Holland Manners' office waiting for a bullet to be shot into his skull.   
  
He reached the table and almost kept walking as everyone who sat there, chatting amiably, eating the rich food the restaurant provided, drinking wine, all turned their eyes upward to him. He fought back the urge to run, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to know who she was, and then held his hand out towards her, silently willing it to stop shaking.  
  
"Lindsey McDonald," he said calmly and quietly and returned the smile she graced him with.  
  
"Jade Logan," she replied and smiled again, taking his hand in her own and sending a shock of electricity through it as she did so," Pleased to meet you Lindsey."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"I was wondering if I could buy you a drink?" he asked, not able to remove the rare smile from his lips. Then panicking as he watched her turn to her friends again. What was she doing? Was she ignoring him? Deliberately turning her back so that he would get the message and leave? Should he leave?  
  
"Sure," she said eventually as all her friends nodded in unison then she pushed back her chair and stood to face him allowing him to see her completely for the first time. She was slightly smaller than he had imagined she would be but he was sure that was more to do with him building her up to be larger than life and her figure was petite and curvy, causing a pang of fear and regret to hit his heart when he suddenly realised that she was about the same size as Darla.  
  
Darla. The one name that simply broke his heart whenever it popped into his head. All his life people had abandoned and used him and she had simply continued that tradition and even though he could see that all the signs had been there right from the start it still hurt him to that day.  
  
He couldn't form words as he placed his hand on the small of Jade's back and silently guided her towards the bar which was situated near the door and his mind stumbled over a million and one topics for small talk.   
  
"Um...what's your poison?" he eventually asked and a small blush flooded his cheeks as he glimpsed the amusement dancing in her eyes.  
  
"White wine please,"she closed her eyes for second and Lindsey quickly seized the opportunity to grimace at his bumbling behaviour, cursing himself inwardly for his sudden lack of grace and cool,"I cant really handle much stronger. Not one for the alcohol. Affects my vocal abilities."  
  
She laughed and Lindsey was once again taken with the way it seemed to be lacking something, unable to cover her hurt completely.  
  
"Tell me about you," he blurted out and then cringed as she blinked twice and her mouth formed a small O.  
  
"Nothing much to tell," she mumbled and averted her gaze so that she was looking sadly at the marble floor beneath them," I'm 22, I work in an office, I come here every Friday and I..."  
  
He waited for a moment, expecting her to finish her sentence and then when he realised that she had fallen silent, he placed his hand on her arm. Again she blinked and then coughed to disguise her embarrassment.  
  
"I almost blurted out that I have no family. I mean, why the hell would you want to hear that?" she laughed again but this time it was full of bitterness that Lindsey empathised with completely.  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel any better. Me too," he said and nodded a thank-you to the bartender as he placed their drinks before them,"What happened to them?"  
  
"They died," she replied matter-of-factly and took a sip from her glass," but lets not talk about sad things Lindsey, the world is so full of them that its our responsibility to seek out the good, right?"  
  
"Yeah...right," he gulped down his shot of whiskey and then turned his back to the bar so that he could rest upon it and look into her eyes. Beautiful hazel eyes, he noted, then chastised himself for his sudden love sick thoughts.   
  
"So..."  
  
"So...?" Lindsey pleaded inwardly for something to spark up their first meeting, for him to suddenly be blessed with wit and kindness and the ability to charm this woman entirely.  
  
"About you?"  
  
"28, from Oklahoma, new here, I haven't got a job yet but I'm making pocket money by singing in a bar on 27th Street," he frowned, desperately trying to think of something else to tell her so that she wouldnt just walk away.  
  
"You sing?" she seemed amazed and intruiged.  
  
"A little, you should..."  
  
"Come see you play?" she smiled yet another of the smiles that seemed to flip his heart over and then nodded," I'd be honoured."  
  
"Can I interrupt?" a tall woman was looming over them and Jade seemed to shrink back under her gaze, her face suddenly turning pale and her eyes darkening with tears," You have work in the morning Jade, I don't think its wise to spend the whole night talking to this....stranger....do you?"  
  
"No, Evelyn, I don't," Jade was now almost grovelling at the woman's feet.  
  
"And I cant believe you have forgotten Paul so quickly."  
  
Jade's eyes snapped up to stare disbelievingly at the woman and she opened her mouth as though to answer the accusation but then simply sighed and closed it again.  
  
"Excuse me," Lindsey said and felt his blood begin to boil when the woman blatantly ignored him," Excuse me but if you wouldnt mind leaving so that we can at least say goodbye."  
  
He could have swore that he heard a low growl coming from her robust form and that her eyes glowed green for a brief instant but when he focussed on her she was simply smiling a cold, emotionless sneer.  
  
"Goodbyes can be said in front of people surely?" she snarled," and we really must be leaving."  
  
"Goodbye Lindsey,"Jade muttered as the woman grabbed her by the arm roughly and again Lindsey fought with the rage that was shooting through his body. He grabbed her hand and held it for a moment, determined to feel her skin one more time, just in case it should be the last.  
  
"Try?" he said simply and smiled as she nodded her understanding and affirmation," Bye Jade."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
The nightmares still occupied every minute of his sleep from the moment he closed his eyes to when he opened them again the next day and even for hours afterwards while he would pad through the small apartment he now called home, at least for a while.  
  
He would remember how he had acted when it came to Darla and he would hate himself so vehemently. All of the lawyers who had died at the hands of her and Drusilla were his ghosts, he had killed them when he had acted on his superiors orders and killed, yes killed, Darla when Angel had saved her soul.  
  
He had convinced himself then that he had saved her, that he had done what Angel should have by having her turned, but at that point he was so blind with jealousy and love that he couldnt see how much wrong he was becoming entangled in.  
  
And now he had to pay the price and the nightmares were part of it, as was the ever-present heavy, suffocating guilt.  
  
He flopped down in a thread-bare chair that he had managed to pick up for a pittance at the nearby flea-market and closed his eyes, desperate for the image of Jade to grant him some peace for at least a moment. A small smile swept across his face as he saw the way she had smiled at his nervousness but then it quickly vanished as the quick goodbye ambushed him. He saw Evelyn snatch her away and was almost certain that she had indeed growled. There was something more to all of this he realised, straightening in his seat as he opened his eyes, he couldnt just leave this alone.  
  
***  
  
Jade sat stiffly in a high-backed chair, her hands clasped tightly together on her knees as Evelyn paced the floor in front of her.  
  
"Did I not make myself clear? I would have thought you would have learned by now," the woman was shouting and each word made Jade flinch and cower back slightly," When I said you would never love, I meant it."  
  
Suddenly the woman turned to Jade and her features began to melt away revealing a large, cloaked man, with human features and flourescent green eyes. He had a sword strapped to his waist and his finger nails were long and curved as he gripped the handle fiercly.  
  
"Are you going to force me to repeat what I did to Paul?" he growled and Jade quickly shook her head in terror, her eyes glistening with tears.  
  
"No Lavuc, please no," she whispered, still shaking her head.  
  
"Then do not anger me. I mean, after 460 years surely you know what I am capable of? I told you when you rejected me that you would live to regret it with each passing day and I am not about to forget my vow am I?"  
  
"No Lavuc," she muttered and cursed him silently. All she wanted now was to be allowed to die and every day she prayed that he would tire of her and end her misery but of course that was exactly what he didnt want to do. After being cursed to see the mutilation of her fiancé, Paul, over and over again Lavuc still felt as though she needed to be punished more and that was when he had decided to make her immortal like him.  
  
She envied the other immortals who inhabited the planet, the Vampires of the world who could be beheaded or staked and would then be nothing more than a small pile of ashes blowing in the wind. They at least did not have souls, or consciences and anything that they did remember from their human lives no longer mattered. She, on the other hand, was still human and was nothing special except for that fact that she could never die. Not until Lavuc finally had mercy or until someone killed him.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Lindsey picked up his guitar case and cast his eyes around his apartment. It was humble to say the least and nothing compared to the lifestyle he had been living in when he worked for Wolfram and Hart but he felt strangely comfortable in his new surroundings, at ease.  
  
"Going back to my roots," he mumbled and for once that thought didnt fill him with fear the way it had so often before. That had been the reason he had stayed in the firm when he should have walked, the thought of returning to the poverty he had grown up in and it had also been the cause of so many bitter arguments with his father when he had called him.  
  
His father had stopped trying to make amends a long time ago now and Lindsey knew that he had simply grown weary of apologising for something he could not have changed. He pondered picking up the phone and ringing his family then but shrugged the idea away. Although he was no longer afraid of being poor he was still terrified of rejection.  
  
He sighed and pulled open the door then stepped out into the corridor before walking down the cold cement stairway to his truck that waited patiently at the side of the road. Climbing in he thought about Jade again and wondered if he would catch sight of her sitting in the modest blues bar he was playing in that night.  
  
He prayed that he would so that he would be able to discover her secrets and why she seemed so afraid of the strange woman who had dominated her so  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
=They love me like I was a brother / they protect me / listen to me / they dug me my very own garden / gave me sunshine / made me happy / nice dream=  
  
Lindsey sang with his eyes closed, clutching his guitar to him like a security blanket as he concentrated on the words, unconcerned by the audience, just simply singing to relieve his misery. He remembered hearing the song on the radio and being amazed by how much it touched his soul and had then looked everywhere to secure a copy of it. Nice Dream by Radiohead.  
  
=I call up my friend the good Angel / but he's out with / his ansaphone/ he says he would love to come help out but/ the sea would electrocute us all / nice dream.=  
  
He had thought it ironic that an angel should be mentioned in the song and had decided to adapt it to his own needs, changing the she to he. He also wished that Angel really was a friend and although they had been civil in their last meeting Lindsey knew he had a long way to go before Angel ever trusted him.  
  
=If you think that you're strong enough/ if you think you belong enough/ nice dream=  
  
He opened his eyes and lifted the guitar strap over his head as the audience applauded him. He loved the sound of clapping as it made him feel wanted for at least a few minutes, as though these people accepted him into their folds. He nodded a thank-you to them all and then descended the steps at the side of the stage, winding his way through the tables towards the bar where the bartender had already set down a glass of scotch. For a moment Lindsey wondered whether he should change his drink of choice, discard yet another bad memory from his time in LA, but he took a sip all the same.  
  
"You were amazing," a voice said from behind him and he whirled round, already recognising the voice, excitement pounding through his temples.  
  
"You came!" he said and fought back the urge to throw his arms around her.  
  
"I was in the neighbourhood," Jade said shyly and pushed herself onto a bar stool beside him, shaking her head when the bartender asked if she would like a drink.  
  
"C'mon," Lindsey urged," Have a drink with me."  
  
"I'm sorry Lindsey," Jade said, her eyes filled with pain," I cant stay long. I just thought I would come and satisfy my curiosity."  
  
"I'm starting to think you are Cinderella," Lindsey joked," Your clothes gonna turn into rags if you stay out past midnight?"  
  
"Something much worse," Jade mumbled and Lindsey stared at her.   
  
"Come on, come with me," he said eventually and took her hand in his then led her through the people who filled the bar towards the door.  
  
"Where are we going?" Jade asked, her voice beginning to take on the edge of panic.  
  
"I think we need to talk and we cant really do that in there," he replied as they walked out into the warm night. The sounds of the city seemed muted aside from the cars which passed by them regularly. Now that they were outside Lindsey was suddenly at a loss to where they should go. He stood in front of her, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets, and then he tilted his head, attempting to catch her gaze which she had nervously dropped to look at the cement sidewalk.  
  
"I need to know what you are so afraid of Jade," he said, keeping his voice low and calm.  
  
"It would be safer for you if you didnt," she mumbled and Lindsey found himself taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting her face upwards so that she would look at him.  
  
"Believe me when I say that I have seen it all," he said," Nothing much frightens me now."  
  
Suddenly Jade grabbed his hand and began running along the sidewalk, dragging him behind her. Lindsey tried to make her stop but her terror seemed to give her extra strength and she continued to pull frantically at his hand.  
  
"Do you have a car?" she asked, her voice high-pitched with fear.  
  
"Over there," he nodded his head at his truck and Jade ran towards it with Lindsey following close behind her.  
  
"Quick! Quick!" she screamed as Lindsey fumbled with his car keys, attempting to insert them in the lock but missing it as his hands shook," Please Lindsey! Quick!"  
  
Finally he managed to open the door and Jade dived inside, signalling for him to hurry up and get in. He climbed into his seat and started the engine, glancing in his rear-view-mirror before he pulled out onto the street and gasping as he saw the image of a man behind them, eyes glowing green, sword held out before him as he charged towards the truck at amazing speed, the black robe he wore billowing out behind him like bat wings.  
  
"Holy shit!!" Lindsey said and stomped his foot onto the accelerator, the tyres screeching on the tar mac as the truck sped out of the space and along the road.   
  
Lindsey kept glancing in the mirror for a sign of the man as he twisted and turned down back streets in an attempt to lose him. Jade simply sat huddled against the doorway, her head down and tears streaming over her cheeks. Finally Lindsey could no longer see the figure and he began to slow slightly, his heart beat still beating hard against his chest.  
  
"Who the hell was that?" he said, his words coming out in short bursts as his breathing took a while to even out.  
  
"It's a long story Lindsey, I shouldnt have gotten you involved," Jade replied, shaking her head as the tears continued to fall.  
  
"Never mind that," Lindsey said soothingly," I'm involved now and I want to help you."  
  
Jade held his gaze for a moment, her body seeming to relax slightly and then she gave him a sad smile.  
  
"You ready for all of this?"  
  
"A hundred percent," Lindsey replied," Hit me sister."  
  
Jade laughed a little at his humour and Lindsey glanced at her for a second, smiling at the sound of her giggle.  
  
"Okay, a while ago I was just a girl living in a small village," Jade said and Lindsey could tell she was choosing her words carefully and wondered why," There was a wizard called Lavuc who tried to court me..."  
  
"Wizard? Court?" Lindsey interrupted, " What century are we talking about here?"  
  
"1541," Jade muttered and Lindsey looked at her in disbelief.  
  
"You're a vampire?" he asked disbelievingly, he was usually excellent at sensing a vampire, years of working with them he supposed, and he hadnt felt the vibe from the girl who was now sitting beside him.  
  
"No, just a girl...let me finish my story."  
  
"Sorry, go on...oh but maybe we should pull over somewhere?" he so badly wanted to look into her eyes as she told her tale, so that he could recognise the emotions in her face.  
  
"No!" Jade placed her hand on his forearm and he could sense her desperation," He will find us if we stop...he always finds me."  
  
"We cant drive forever though," he said realistically as his mind whirred through possibilities.  
  
"For a while longer? We need to get out of this city at least."  
  
"I've got just the place," Lindsey assured her," Now you were saying?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
1541 - Falkirk, Scotland.  
  
Flora Jade McKenzie stepped out of the modest thatched, dry-stone cottage that she shared with her parents and four brothers. She smiled as she watched the children of the clan running about and scurrying over the local hills and her smile grew as she imagined the future with Paul, of being married and starting their own family.  
  
She gathered her skirts in her hands and padded bare-foot down to the burn nearby and the sounds of the birds in the trees and the frogs which hid in the swaying reeds filled her with happiness. She whistled as she washed her face and hands, running over the tasks she would have to fulfill that day before Paul returned from his travels.  
  
The men of the village had travelled to Stirling to sell some of their cattle and the pottery she and the other women had made and he had promised to buy her something to wear on their wedding day, even if it was only small. She tried to remember the day she had first fallen in love with him, after years of playing games and trekking the hillsides like the younger children did now. She supposed it was simply a natural progression, but his beautiful blue eyes had suddenly seemed to capture her own one day and after that she had been helpless to the feelings which possessed her so completely.  
  
She heard a sound from behind her, and turned slightly, expecting to be ambushed by Conor or John, two of the most mischievious children in the village, then fell backwards in fright as she looked up at a strange cloaked figure. After a moment of terrified confusion she realised who he was.   
  
The clan had all talked around the fires at night about the strange wizard who inhabited King Edward's castle. She had assumed that it was just myth, something created to add fear about Longshank's reign and to ensure that the children would never be duped into believing the evil King's lies. They had said that the wizard did all there was to ensure that King Edward would never be defeated, protecting him with sorcery.  
  
And now he was looming before her, holding out his hand to her as though expecting her to fall under his spells and take it.  
  
"Go away!" she screamed and pushed herself backwards a little.  
  
"No need to be afraid my sweet Flora," the voice chilled her to the bone and she bunched her fists over her ears to try and block out the sound,"I have come for you, my love."  
  
"No, no," she muttered," I know who you are, I know what you are. You are evil."  
  
"Do not anger me," his voice was now low and threatening," I can give you everything you desire, a life of luxury and riches, I can take you away from this....hovel"  
  
"Go away before my fiancé returns and beats you to death,"Flora said, desperately hoping that the sound of horse-hooves would soon echo in the glen.  
  
The figure roared with laughter then stopped suddenly and grabbed her by the front of her dress, pulling her up to look into his eyes. She gasped and struggled wildly in his grip as his green eyes seemed to penetrate her skull.  
  
"Your fiancé is as good as dead Flora, do not make me angry."  
  
"Please! Please!" she screamed and then, just as she heard the roar of her father's angry voice and felt herself falling onto the soil, she passed out.  
  
For days afterwards she wasnt allowed to be on her own for more than a moment, always protected by one of her brothers, her father or Paul. Her mother sobbed when her father had told her what he had seen and she kept mumbling over and over about her being cursed now, that they were all doomed.  
  
Flora couldnt sleep, she would lie awake and jump at the sounds of the tree branches hitting the stone walls or the fire spitting as the wind blew the sparks into the night sky. She knew that he would return and fulfill his promise but she didnt know when and this meant she could find no peace.  
  
Then one night she heard her mother scream and as she peered out of the doorway she saw him approach the village, his cloak flapping behind him as he steered his black horse over the land. He pulled the reins back to halt it and raised his hand so that a huge bright light flew from it and set alight the roof of her uncle's home.  
  
"I come for Flora," he shouted, and did not seem alarmed as her family and Paul all charged towards him," Give her to me and you all will live. Resist and die."  
  
"I'm not afraid of you!" Paul roared and threw himself at the horse. The wizard seized his throat with ease and pulled him up to face him, Paul's legs thrashing in thin air, pedalling frantically in an attempt to find ground. His face was turning blue and a gargle was all that was escaping from his lips.  
  
"You're killing him!" Flora screamed as she raced out of the house, her only interest to save the man she loved.  
  
"This isnt killing him," Lavuc sneered as he ran a finger across Paul's throat, smiling darkly as blood began to spurt from it," This is killing him...and this..."  
  
Suddenly he pulled Paul forward and Flora shrieked as she saw the glint of steel protrude from Paul's back, dark with his blood. Lavuc smiled again and then threw his body away from him with disdain, watching with glee as it landed like a ragdoll in the campfire, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.  
  
"I come for Flora," he said again," Resist and die."  
  
Flora stared at the people of her clan, willing them all to do something, but all the family's were huddled together in horror, terrified by what they had just seen. She saw her father begin to step forward but jumped to stop him, placing her hand gently on his arm.  
  
"Its me he wants to punish Father," she whispered," he will kill you too."  
  
"Flora, please no," he said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he realised what his daughter was about to do.  
  
"I love you all," she murmured as she rested her head on his chest, her tears dampening his tartan sash," Don't forget me. Take care of Paul."  
  
Her father nodded solemnly, knowing that she meant to tend to his cairn, then he slowly unclipped his broach and held it towards her. She took it and closed her eyes, feeling the cold of the cast iron on her palm.  
  
"It was going to be my gift to Paul for your wedding day," her father said, his voice hoarse and croaky as he forced himself to say goodbye to his only daughter.  
  
"Enough of the cheap sentiments," Lavuc shouted.  
  
"Goodbye," Flora whispered again and was suddenly snatched up onto the horse beside the wizard, only able to snatch brief glimpses of her village as they galloped back into the hills.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Six.  
  
Lindsey concentrated on the road ahead, stealing little glances at Jade as she slept. He knew that she had only just begun her tale and that he had so much more to learn about her life with Lavuc but what he had already heard was enough to tell him that he had to help her.  
  
Beams of light swept through the interior as cars passed on the other side of the road and Lindsey was once again captivated by her beauty. Just when he thought he had every line memorised there was another expression to add. The way her eyelashes lay on the tops of her cheekbones as she slept, the curve of her mouth when it was not moving, the way her chest rose and fell in a slow steady rhythm.  
  
He couldnt fall in love again, he told himself, even though it did not convince him to think it, he would help her but he would not love her.   
  
He watched the cat's-eyes as they illuminated under the lights from his truck, glimmering like fallen stars and for a moment he allowed himself to believe that where he was right now was heaven on earth. He wanted to be touched by the beauty of it, he wanted to look for the good just as Jade had said when they had first met.  
  
He rolled his head back to try to relieve the cramp that was now shooting up his neck, then he moved a hand to kneed the muscles, hoping that they wouldnt seize up.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
He jumped slightly at her voice then turned and smiled unconvincingly. She was frowning at him as concern about his welfare filled her and Lindsey felt his thoughts lighten a little as he realised, that even if it was only because he was the only one helping her, she did care about him.  
  
"I'm fine...did you have a nice sleep?"  
  
"It was okay..." Jade trailed off as she looked out of the window,"...where are we going?"  
  
"LA," he replied and concentrated on the road again so that she would not be able to sense his apprehension. She had enough to worry about without adding his troubles to the equation.  
  
"Really? I've never been there, what's it like?"  
  
"Oh you know..." Lindsey replied vaguely.  
  
"Did you live there before moving to Chicago?" Jade continued to press him for information, leaning forward in her chair slightly as she pulled her legs up onto the seat.  
  
"For a while..."  
  
"Jesus Lindsey," Jade suddenly snapped," This is like pulling teeth. I might as well be playing twenty questions with a lump of coal."  
"I don't want to worry you," he said and gripped the steering wheel tighter.  
  
"Well this worries me...the fact I am sharing a ride with someone who is hiding something...oh god, you could be a serial killer...you're not a serial killer are you? Cos I have to tell you that it would be pretty pointless trying to kill me..."  
  
"Okay okay!" Lindsey cried and looked at her sullenly," I was a lawyer with the law-firm Wolfram and Hart...junior partner...anyway, I left...they wont be happy and I don't have anyone to help me which is why I moved to Chicago."  
  
"Wolfram and Hart?" Jade stared at him wide-eyed," Then you know Nathan Reed?"  
  
"Yeah," Lindsey snorted, then cast her a confused glance," How did you..."  
  
"Nathan personally handles all of Lavuc's cases," Jade replied and pulled her legs up closer," Talk about frying pan and fire Lindsey."  
  
"Oh god...I didnt know..."Lindsey stammered, fearing that she would order him to pull over and then leave his life for good.  
  
"Why are we going there?" she continued, though her tone was not accusing in any way," I mean you must have a reason for going there."  
  
"There's this guy..."Lindsey's mood darkened again at the thought of Angel, and the fact that he may choose to ignore their plight,"...he may be able to help. He's the only person I can think of at least."  
  
"Then I trust you," Jade whispered and moved closer to him," Its kind of cold in here isnt it?"  
  
Despite his mind crying out for him not to do it, Lindsey draped one arm over Jade's shoulder and pulled her closer to him, his body suddenly overcome with the sense of her skin touching his. He blocked out the doubting voice and decided to take every moment as it came. After all, life was a series of moments.


	2. Darkness Devours cont..

Chapter Seven

  
  


Jade had slept for the rest of the journey, leaving Lindsey occupied with emotions and thoughts as he held her body close to his. He wondered over and over again how it had come to this and whether he would ever find his place in the world, whether he would ever stop running.

  
  


The picture of being at peace was bright and real in his head and his fantasies took on twists and turns that he had never envisioned before. Of being a father, watching his children play in a huge garden as he and his wife cooked together in their large open plan kitchen. Content laughter ringing from both outside and in the large house.

  
  


As he imagined it, his wife turned to kiss him and Jade's eyes met his. Lindsey shook his head, this couldn't and wouldn't be. He was helping her to escape an immortal curse, how could he even entertain the notion that there would be a happy ending? She could not die as far as he knew so in reality, even if they did spend their lives together, it would not involve growing old with one another.

  
  


He saw the lights of the city open up before him and a tremor of nervous anticipation shuddered through him. He would have to drive to the Hyperion hotel as quickly as possible and hope to God that he wouldn't be seen or recognised, even though he knew it was not implausible for Wolfram and Hart to have employed a surveillance team to keep an eye on the comings and goings of Angel Investigations. Christ, he had suggested that enough in his time there.

  
  


"Jade," he whispered and shook her gently," Jade we're nearly there."

  
  


"Huh?" she stretched her body, brushing against him, and Lindsey bit back the shiver of lust that filled his body,"What did you say?"

  
  


"LA," he said, staring out of the windscreen as he drove through the streets of the dreaded city, where he knew what lurked in its dark recesses,"We're here."

  
  


"Oh!" Jade straightened and Lindsey was disappointed at the space she had created between them," Wow!"

  
  


"Not wow," Lindsey muttered," Its got a dark underbelly this city."

  
  


"What city doesn't,"Jade replied, gazing out of the window at the passing buildings. Lindsey knew she was right and that he had just created this place as hell on earth but he still wasn't sure she knew what to expect of the people here. He coughed slightly as he realised that she probably knew a damn sight more than him and here he was imagining her as some naive little girl.

  
  


"We should reach the Hyperion any moment," he said and she nodded nervously. Lindsey saw it approaching and an involuntary sigh of relief escaped his lips which made Jade look at him curiously. Pulling up outside, he took her hand in his and faced her." Now, let me do the talking okay? He might not be so pleased to see me at first."

  
  


"What?" Jade frowned," I thought he was going to help us?"

  
  


"He will...but he'll act a little reluctantly before he accepts us."

  
  


"Lindsey..."Jade said and he caught the warning tone in her voice.

  
  


"Come on, it will all be okay," he said with a smile he did not feel, then jumped out of his truck and raced around to the other side so that he could help her down.

  
  


They walked up to the courtyard, Jade trailing behind slightly then Lindsey took a deep breath and entered the hotel, beckoning for her to follow him. Cordelia was at the desk of course, something that didn't surprise Lindsey. She belonged to something, was part of a team and a part of Angel Investigations and he felt jealousy bite at his soul.

  
  


"Oh..." she said as she noticed Lindsey standing awkwardly in the doorway. He had expected her to react rather more strongly than she did and her apparent ease at his reappearance threw him slightly," Angel!"

  
  


"Yeah?" Angel walked out of a doorway, reading a file of some sort and not looking up from it. Lindsey didn't make any move to announce himself, more than willing for Cordelia to do that for him.

  
  


"Someone here to see you," she said, nodding her head in Lindsey's direction and Angel's gaze snapped up to meet his.

  
  


"Lindsey," he said calmly and placed the file onto Cordelia's desk on top of some other papers which caused her to tut and move them huffily," Come in."

  
  


"I've brought someone with me," Lindsey said as he started to walk down the steps into the foyer. He looked behind him to check on Jade and the look of wide-eyed horror on her face startled him," Jade?"

  
  


"Oh my god," she said," You tricked me!"

  
  


"Tricked? What?" Lindsey stumbled over his words as he tried to imagine what had horrified Jade so much.

  
  


"Angelus! You brought me to Angelus you son of a bitch! Is this some master plan of Lavuc's to teach me a lesson about trying to escape? Employ some pretty boy to act as my saviour and get him to deliver me into the hands of this evil bastard?" she was shaking her head vehemently and Lindsey could tell that she was trying hard to keep the tears from falling.

  
  


"No..no...Jade!" he watched as she turned quickly and flew back out of the door then he turned to Angel in desperation and threw his hands wide," Help me!"

  
  


"That was Flora McKenzie," Angel said slowly, shock numbing his body. He remembered her from the time when Lavuc had struck up a partnership with him and Darla. How could she still be alive and as beautiful as the day he had first saw her, had first set his sights on turning her?

  
  


"Yeah, it is!" Lindsey yelled," And obviously she remembers you too...or the old you anyway. I need your help! Now!"

  
  


Angel suddenly started running to the doorway with Lindsey in quick pursuit then stopped just outside the door when he saw Jade sitting beside the empty fountain, shadowed by the foliage slightly.

  
  


"I'm too tired," she said, looking up at them both, her cheeks damp and tear-stained," Just kill me okay?"

  
  


"I'm not who you think Flora...not anymore," Angel said, slowly approaching her.

  
  


"Neither am I," Jade replied solemnly, staring at her hands as they rested on her knees," Flora died centuries ago, I'm Jade now."

  
  


"Okay that's perfect, we can reacquaint ourselves," Angel said gently as he took a seat beside her, aware that Lindsey was watching from the doorway," Hi Jade, I'm Angel."

  
  


"Angel?" Jade said, staring at him sideways with a frown creasing her features.

  
  


"Damn gypsies," Angel joked and knew that she would know what he was alluding to. She laughed and her body loosened slightly with relief.

  
  


"Lindsey seems to think you can help me," Jade said nervously, as though expecting Angel to laugh at the very idea.

  
  


"Lindsey is right, I'll help all I can,"Angel replied then stood up so that Lindsey would be able to take the seat beside her. Then as he watched Jade rest his head on his ex-nemesis's shoulder he walked back to the door,"I just hope it will be enough" he whispered to himself, allowing them blissful ignorance to his fear.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Eight

  
  


"I'll need to get a couple of beds made,"Angel said to Cordelia as he walked past her desk and she looked up at him curiously.

  
  


"Who is she?" She asked," Not many people live long enough to remember the old you...unless she's a vampire...she's not another vampire is she?"

  
  


"No, she isn't a vampire,"Angel replied, just as confused as how she could have lived so long,"No demon scent."

  
  


Cordelia set down the papers she had been trawling through and stared at him for a while. Angel felt the strength of her gaze and squirmed slightly under it, knowing that she saw his fear and discomfort.

  
  


"Who's Lavuc then?" she asked and folded her hands on top of the desk, leaning forward slightly.

  
  


"A wizard...no, more a warlock....very powerful and evil,"Angel paused remembering how he and Darla had been forced to flee from him when they had tried to double cross him and failed. Or more accurately when Angelus had attempted to turn Flora and had been caught in the act. 

  
  


He remembered Lavuc's rage as he flown at him. Of feeling the searing heat from his hands as he had tightened his hand's around Angelus's throat, burning his skin under them. He remembered that, for the first time since he had become a vampire, he had been sure that he would die.

  
  


Darla had startled him, slamming a plank of wood across his head and then grabbing Angelus's hand and leading the choking and cursing vampire out of the door of the mansion into the night. He remembered her anger and jealousy as she realised what had enraged Lavuc so and of her words.

  
  


"Steal what you may Angelus, but only a fool would try to take the one thing he obsesses over. You are a fool if you think we can defeat him."

  
  


Her words rang in his head again and then he jumped as he heard the door open behind him. Cordelia was smiling at Jade, though he knew that she was unsure about her, and Jade and Lindsey were both looking at him.

  
  


"I was wondering..."Lindsey began.

  
  


"I'm just gonna make a couple of beds for you both," Angel replied, pre-empting Lindsey's question and he felt glad that they both relaxed at his words. For all that Lindsey had been and done before, Angel knew that he had to accept some responsibility for that and he was determined to help him now. This could act as both their redemptions he realised. If they succeeded that was.

  
  


***

Gunn and Wesley were in high spirits when they returned. Whooping and congratulating each other on their victory over a slime demon they had insisted that they could handle and Angel felt the sharp sting of jealousy over their friendship again.

  
  


He really had lost a lot after his crisis and even though he was slowly building bridges over the gaps that he had caused, he knew that it would never be exactly the same. It was like what had happened with Buffy when he had returned from hell. Everything looked the same on the outside, and the love had still been as strong but the trust? That had never returned fully.

  
  


He paused on the stairway as pain ripped through his heart. Oh God, Buffy. He didn't think he would ever be able to stop his heart from aching at his loss, he had only been able to ignore it before because he knew that she was out there, waiting, loving him. Now she was dead, gone. He gripped the bannister and toppled forward slightly as his tears fell.

  
  


"Buffy, Buffy," he murmured and then felt a hand touch his back, his mind suddenly soaring as the impossible idea that she was at this moment behind him, looking at him with concern and love, filled his head. He whirled round and his heart fell.

  
  


"Are you okay?" Jade asked gently and sat down on the step beside him. He knew that they were just out of sight of the others and he was glad they could not see the state he was in.

  
  


"I'm..." he couldn't get the words out and just stared at her. His eyes pleading for her to make the pain stop. Jade touched his face kindly and said nothing,"There was this girl, a slayer, we loved each other..."

  
  


"A Vampire and a slayer?" Jade said and then smiled," Romeo and Juliet huh?"

  
  


"Sort of..." Angel remembered the reaction of everyone when they had found out about their romance, of Xander just filled with hate and of Spike and the others being disgusted at their sire's behaviour," She died a month ago."

  
  


The tears fell again and Jade allowed him to lean his head on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, didn't try to ease his pain with empty sentiments and for this he was thankful. She must understand, he thought, if anyone could it would be her.

  
  


"I'd better make the beds," he said finally, gulping back his sorrow and standing up.

  
  


"I'll help," Jade replied and they both carried on walking up the stairs in a comfortable, mutual silence.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Nine

  
  


Lavuc could feel his fury building as he searched Chicago for sign of Jade and it was a couple of hours before it occurred to him that she would know by now that she needed to put some distance between them. He could sense where she was as long as she was still in close proximity to him, he was a fool to think she would not have realised this after all the time she had been with him.

  
  


He paced the floor of the great room of his mansion angrily. His servants watching him fearfully as he swept backward and forwards past them. He grabbed one of them angrily, pulling him so close to him that the boy could feel the heat of his breath on his skin.

  
  


"Who let her leave?" he demanded and the servant cowered in his grip," Why didn't anyone follow her?"

  
  


"We did Master," the boy's voice quivered as he tried to avoid Lavuc's gaze and Lavuc dropped him to the floor angrily.

  
  


"Haven't we learned by now that as soon as you see where she is, you tell me!" he yelled at the whole room. They all pulled back from him incase he should take his rage out on them.

Lavuc turned from them all and flopped into his chair, suddenly filled with self-doubt and wondering if, after all this time, Jade had finally succeeded in escaping.

  
  


He closed his eyes and as he bitterly imagined the face of her saviour he realised that he knew him. He leaned forward in his chair, not concerned with the way everyone else in the room was nervously holding their breath incase the slightest sound should force him to snap.

  
  


"Lindsey McDonald," he said with a smile," My oh my, has the boy had a change of heart?"

  
  


He clicked his fingers for one of his minions to approach him and when they scurried forward he testily ordered that they bring him the telephone straight away. If anyone knew where Lindsey was it would be Nathan Reed.

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


Angel was trying his best to be a good host but his earlier breakdown was still laying heavy on his soul and his mood. He watched in silence as Lindsey and Jade ate Chinese takeaway and he saw the way the both looked at each other and he also noticed that they were both trying hard to hide their emotions. He recognised it as he and Buffy had struggled with the same thing, trying to fight against over-whelming odds and emotions and failing miserably every time.

  
  


He wanted to tell Lindsey that love could conquer all but did not feel comfortable enough giving him advice on any aspect of his personal life. It was too soon to act like friends and it was better if he kept his distance for a while longer.

  
  


It was Jade who eventually spoke to him, her face full of concern. It seemed that Lindsey had only just noticed his silence and he looked at Angel worriedly. Probably wondering if Wolfram and Hart were getting to him the way they had when he was at the controls, Angel mused. 

  
  


"Would you like to talk?" Jade asked him and Angel noticed jealousy flash across Lindsey's face. Had he always been jealous of him? Is that why he did some of the things he had? Angel rubbed his temples hard and rested his elbows on his knees.

  
  


"No...not yet," Angel replied, not looking up," I'm just trying to think what we can do to free you from Lavuc...I think I need to know more..."

  
  


"Anything you want to know, just ask," Jade replied and then added with a small smile," You know as well as I do that if we were to start at the beginning then it would take an eternity to get to the point."

  
  


Angel looked at her then and laughed slightly. She had such kind eyes, he thought, so full of insight and knowledge, compassion and pain. He wondered if his eyes looked like that to others and if the depth was something that came from the passing of time. He sighed and leant back in his chair.

  
  


"I don't even know where to begin..." he straightened suddenly and looked hard at Lindsey,"...are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

  
  


"It couldn't hurt to give it a try," Lindsey replied, nodding.

  
  


"What? What are you thinking?" Jade asked, looking from Angel to Lindsey and back again.

  
  


"You can hold a tune right?" Lindsey smiled.

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


"I didn't know she could sing like that," Lindsey said as he watched Jade light up the stage. She was singing Blue Moon and her voice soared, every demon and human in the audience watching her in awe induced silence.

  
  


"She's 483 years old Lindsey, had a long time to practice," the Host replied, then, glancing at Angel, added," Of course that rule doesn't apply to all."

  
  


"Hey..." Angel began, his tone one of hurt indignation.

  
  


"Ssssh," the Host held one finger up to his lips and turned back to the stage," Well, what can I tell you except that if this gal wasn't immortal I would have said she was a reincarnation of Ella herself..."

  
  


"Ella who?" Angel asked, still pouting from the earlier slight.

  
  


"Fitzgerald!" The Host, frowned at him," Get with the programme Angel sweetie."

  
  


"What do you see?" Lindsey interrupted their banter.

  
  


" I see a lot of pain, she has been through a lot," The Host said then smiled," And oooh, I see luuurve...if I wasn't anagogic I would swear I was some hokey fortune teller."

  
  


"Love?" Lindsey scrambled desperately over that word, pleading silently for the Host to add his name to that insight.

  
  


"Well, she is on the right path anyway," The Host didn't seem to hear Lindsey's question as he turned to Angel," You can help her...the only thing that I can see about how is that she is the thing that will defeat him..."

  
  


"How?" Angel asked with a frown.

  
  


"Like I said, I don't get much more than that...the love vibes are too strong," he said as he winked at Lindsey, causing his heart to jump," But she knows that he is on his way here now."

  
  


"Now?" Angel prodded.

  
  


"Like yesterday," The Host said ominously then drifted off to chat with the patrons of his club, patting Lindsey on the shoulder as he passed by him.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Ten

  
  


Nathan Reed surveyed the boardroom with disdain. God they were a bunch of pathetic excuses for evil. Perhaps Holland had been right in his nurturing of Lindsey, of his manipulation of his emotions and in offering the boy the world. At least Lindsey exuded power and need and hunger for respect, these sad offerings just passed their time snivelling and sucking up.

  
  


He sighed and rolled his eyes as one of the new batch of recently graduated law students stumbled and stammered his way through a case report and as he mis-pronounced yet another of the legislations Nathan slammed his hand down onto the table hard as he leapt from his seat.

  
  


"Enough!" he yelled and the lawyer, and Nathan thought the title was in its loosest form when it came to that one, dropped into his seat, face ashen with fear and shock," I've heard enough! If you cant be bothered to learn the words then we have no more use for you."

  
  


He nodded his head to Harvey, the security guard who stood ominously in the doorway, like a vulture ready to swoop onto some decaying remains, and he stepped forward quietly and took his position behind the boy. Nathan saw Lilah turn her head away from the scene and wondered for an instant why he had allowed Lindsey to just resign.

  
  


Harvey's hands had swiftly hooked some wire around the throat of the terrified victim and had tightened it until the boy's tongue protruded from his mouth, his face purple and swollen from lack of oxygen. Then he let go and the lifeless body toppled forward onto the scattered papers littering the table.

  
  


"Far less mess," he said as way of explanation, even though he knew that each of the eight lawyers were currently too caught up in their own fears to even hear him," Oh I cant be bothered...get out all of you. I expect you to all arrive here for the next meeting at 9am sharp tomorrow, do I make myself clear?"

  
  


He heard a few mumbled "yes sir"s and then he was alone in the room. He sat back down in his seat and turned it to look out of the window at the city skyline, intent on gathering his thoughts. 

  
  


"Sir?" he heard Lilah's voice as she tapped gently on the door and he spun his chair round to look at her.

  
  


"Yes?"

  
  


"I was wondering..." she trailed off and Nathan noticed the fear dancing behind her eyes.

  
  


"Well spit it out," he snapped, too involved in his own worries to even entertain her nervous ramblings. He saw her straighten her back as though preparing herself for his onslaught.

  
  


"I was wondering if you had heard anything about Lindsey?"

  
  


The girl was astute and like a pit-bull when it came to the McDonald boy, Nathan mused, and he began to wonder if her interest was purely business. There had been rumours when they had first started to work together that Lilah had a little crush on her colleague but Nathan had ignored them, dismissing them as office tittle tattle. Now he wasn't so sure.

  
  


"Indeed," he replied simply, dangling the bait for his employee to scramble for.

  
  


"Oh?" she paused and then turned to leave but as she reached the door, just as Nathan expected, she turned back to him.

  
  


"You found where he is?" she asked, trying to keep any emotions from her voice.

  
  


"He is here Lilah," Nathan replied, spinning his chair back to the window," I don't know for how much longer though."

  
  


The surveillance team had reported Lindsey's reappearance as soon as they had spied him stepping from his decrepit truck, a vehicle he had refused to part with no matter how many times it had been suggested to him. It had annoyed Nathan that Lindsey should have allowed himself to be seen by them, surely the boy would have known that they were watching Angel Investigations. It no longer mattered though as Nathan had been startled to receive a phone call from his most prestigious client enquiring as to his whereabouts. 

  
  


It amused Nathan somewhat to imagine Lindsey aligning himself with Lavuc's prize possession. He had to give him credit, he always seemed to find trouble.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Eleven

  
  


Lindsey was completely unnerved by how edgy Angel had become after what The Host had told him and he watched as Angel scurried, uncharacteristically, around the office, lugging piles of books from the shelves that were situated inside one of the rooms.

  
  


He attempted to concentrate on one of the tomes that Angel had handed him but kept being distracted by the sighs of frustration that the vampire kept releasing. He folded his arms, leaned backwards in his chair and eyed him carefully. It took a few moments for Angel to feel his stare and he looked up guiltily.

  
  


"What?" he asked quietly, not wanting to attract Jade's attention as she sat in the corner hastily scribbling down everything she knew about Lavuc on a pad of paper.

  
  


"Want to tell me what's wrong?" Lindsey's tone was just as hushed and he leant forward again.

  
  


"Just all of this...and some other things...it doesn't matter," Angel replied, returning his gaze to the brown tinged pages he had been reading.

  
  


"Are we in trouble?" Lindsey asked a question he already knew the answer to, but he wanted to hear Angel confirm his fears so that he could tackle the problem with full awareness.

  
  


"Only a lot," Angel mumbled, then threw the book onto the table, causing Jade to jump and drop her pad. She stared at them both but said nothing as she watched Angel stand and storm over to the telephone.

  
  


"Lindsey?" she mouthed as Angel picked up the receiver and started dialling. Lindsey just shrugged and was beginning to say something when Angel's voice broke the silence.

  
  


"Wesley?" he said, his tone conveying his anger at his inability to handle something alone," Yeah, I know what time it is...can you come into the office?" 

  
  


He paused and Jade walked over to Lindsey so that they could talk without disturbing his conversation.

  
  


"Yes please and contact Gunn too while you're at it....I don't know....I just think it would be safer if we had all hands on deck," he trailed off and hunched forward slightly, the pressure of the task at hand and his grief over the last month causing his body to sag underneath the weight of it all.

  
  


"He's suffering," Jade said to Lindsey and explained herself when Lindsey frowned at her words," He lost someone he loved recently, I don't think he's coping....I don't know how he can expect himself to."

  
  


"Someone?" Lindsey asked and Jade sighed.

  
  


"I've no doubt Wolfram and Hart know everything about Angel's past Lindsey so you will know who I mean when I say Buffy right?"

  
  


Lindsey fell silent as he remembered the various files that they had on the Slayer, on the love affair between her and Angel, of how his curse had been lifted for a few months causing his alter-ego to return and bestow misery and torture on everyone in Sunnydale, of how Angel had returned from hell restored to his good self....Wolfram and Hart had never been able to discover how that transition had occurred.

  
  


Angel had loved the girl so much that he had realised that it would be better if he put some distance between them, had been so unselfish in his adoration for her that he had seen that he would destroy her emotionally if he stayed. Lindsey couldn't comprehend the depth of feeling that they must have gone through, had always been so needy for affection that he would cling on for dear life to any scrap of feeling.

  
  


Angel had lost her now? It took a few moments for Lindsey to even speak, his mind and heart filled with sympathy for the person he had hated so vehemently for so long. How was he even able to function?

  
  


"Oh god," Lindsey murmured.

  
  


"I think we need to take some of the pressure off him," Jade whispered and Lindsey nodded, understanding now why Angel seemed so distant and distracted. They couldn't be helping by landing on his doorstep so suddenly and Lindsey felt a stab of guilt at once again adding to Angel's troubles. Jade took a book from the pile and opened it.

  
  


"I think I've got as much down as I can about Lavuc," she said as she skimmed the text," Lets see how we can kill him yeah?"

  
  


"Yeah," Lindsey nodded, unable to take his eyes from the figure who was now supporting himself on the reception desk, wondering how he could help and make up for some of the things he had put him through.

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


Cordelia flopped into a chair and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Even though she had worked with Angel for over two years now, the late night calls did not get any easier. She glanced at her watch and sighed. 3:45 am....jeez!

  
  


Wesley and Angel were both bent over a large dusty old book that Wesley had rummaged frantically for while asking why Angel hadn't told him that the case involved Lavuc until now. She noticed the way Angel wore an expression of a guilty school boy and automatically felt sorry for him, he had been trying so hard to rebuild the respect he had lost and after the news about Buffy...

  
  


Cordelia felt the tears spring to her eyes and gulped them back. It didn't matter if she and Buffy had acted as though they didn't understand or like each other, Cordelia still had so much respect for the slayer, even more so since she had inherited Doyle's visions and responsibility. She wondered whether the pain would stop, whether they would ever get over losing a friend, but she doubted it, the grief of losing Doyle still just as fresh as the day it had happened. And now Buffy, she didn't even want to imagine the agony Angel was feeling.

  
  


Lindsey sat down beside her and Cordelia looked at him curiously. She was just beginning to trust him after all he had put her and her friends through but she had to admit that she was warming to him now especially as she watched him almost fall over himself to help Angel.

  
  


"Tough going isn't it?" he said and Cordelia smiled.

  
  


"Oh god yeah," she replied," Have you even slept yet?"

  
  


"Not yet," Lindsey said and tried to ignore the fatigue which was at that moment flooding his being," Lots to do...he seems scared."

  
  


Cordelia stared at Angel as he sighed and rolled his head back and for the first time she noticed it too, realising that even when she had tried to press him on information about Lavuc he had not partaken in anything other than what he was and the fact he was evil, which in her book was a given. Suddenly she fell back on the sofa, her body arching as a vision tore through her skull, almost falling off her seat. She screamed as the pain and images fought for a premium position in her head and then she started to come to, realising that Lindsey was holding her to him.

  
  


"He's coming," she said and Angel covered his face in his hands," I saw some lawyers too."

  
  


Lindsey looked at her in shock.

  
  


"He wont try and get Jade himself..." Cordelia added, pleading inwardly for the pain to subside," They will..."

  
  


"No they wont," Lindsey said and looked at Jade, suddenly sure that he would die before he allowed anyone to hurt her ever again. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Twelve

  
  


The sun was fully risen by the time everyone finally admitted that they could work no more. Lindsey hadn't felt exhaustion like that since he had worked for Wolfram and Hart, when he used to spend days mulling over case files in an attempt to stay one step ahead of his colleagues. The little sleep he did get then used to be disturbed with nightmares created by his conscience and he had grown used to the dull sensation of listlessness that the fatigue had brought with it. Since moving to Chicago some of that pressure had been lifted, and while his dreams were still uneasy routes through his past mistakes, they at least allowed him to recuperate sufficiently.

  
  


Now, although his vision was blurred and his body ached from the amount of time he had been awake, he still felt more alive than he ever had before. He was fighting for something worthwhile and this brought with it a sense of adrenaline that he embraced fully.

  
  


Wesley removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyes then glanced back up at everyone.

  
  


"I think we should all get some rest," he said," We cannot try to fight someone like Lavuc when we are exhausted...he'll win for sure that way."

  
  


Lindsey looked over at Jade and noticed that she had fallen asleep on the sofa beside Angel, her legs pulled up onto the velvet upholstery. Angel was quietly turning pages and Lindsey noticed that he kept glancing at Jade with a strange look on his face. He suddenly realised that he didn't know how they both knew each other, that he had been too full of panic at her fleeing and then relief at her still being there that it had completely slipped his mind.

  
  


"I'll take her up to her room," he announced, standing up suddenly and Angel seemed to flinch at the sound of his voice. Lindsey walked over and lifted the sleeping girl into his arms, knowing that he was probably acting like a jealous partner but unable to stand seeing another woman falling for the charms of the dark and mysterious vampire. He'd already lost someone to him already.

  
  


He pushed open the door to her room with his foot and then laid her gently down onto the bed, his eyes slowly trailing over her face and body, struggling to contain his emotions and fighting against the urge to kiss her as she slept. Perhaps Darla was right, he never really took what he wanted, always weighed up the options, got dragged down with self-doubt and then left the way open for someone to steel what he had wanted most.

  
  


He sat down on the bed and covered his face with his hands. He wondered if it had been a mistake to return to LA, to the ghosts that haunted him there and whether he would have been happier just running away for the rest of his life. Certainly nothing good had come from returning as yet, Angel and his crew seemed as lost and afraid as he and Jade and Lindsey felt as though they were all just drifting and wasting time....he knew for a fact that Wolfram and Hart would at this moment be holding meeting after meeting to obtain their objective.

  
  


He moved from the bed to an easy chair in the corner and closed his eyes, not expecting sleep to be able to take his busy and confused mind to the dark realms of his dreams but then he saw Darla and Drusilla standing outside the Hyperion with Jade struggling wildly in their grip. He saw Darla mocking both him and Angel as they stood helplessly in the doorway and then of her gleaming fangs puncturing Jade's smooth neck as her yellow eyes stared at them both.

"At last I have taken her from you Angel," Darla hissed and Lindsey saw the pain flash across Angel's face," At last I have rid the world of that damn cheerleader."

  
  


Lindsey's eyes snapped open and he noticed that the room was once again growing dark. How long had he been sleeping for? He glanced over at the bed and when he saw that it was empty the memory of his dream spurred him from his seat and down the stairway, terror at the thought of it happening pumping through his veins. He slowed as he saw Jade sitting at the reception desk with Cordelia, both hunched over some papers and whispering like school girls.

  
  


"You like him then?" she heard Cordelia ask and he moved backwards into the shadows so that he could eavesdrop in safety," Have you kissed him yet?"

  
  


"Not yet..." Jade paused,"...its been rather a while Cordelia."

  
  


"How long?" Cordelia had balanced her elbows on the table and had rested her chin on top of her hands," I mean, long as in a couple of years or long as in centuries?"

  
  


"The last time I was kissed, and it wasn't a loving kiss by any means," Jade said, her eyes dark with the memory," Was by Angelus...about 230 years ago now."

  
  


"Angelus!" Cordelia shrieked.

  
  


"Lindsey," Angel said as he stepped out of the doorway behind him, making Lindsey jump guiltily," Why are you lurking in the shadows?"

  
  


Lindsey was at a loss for words and he saw the same mischievous glimmer dancing behind Angel's dark brown eyes. He had known why he was hiding like that and hadn't been able to resist the opportunity to embarrass him again. He glared at the vampire and cursed him inwardly then shamefully looked at the two girls as they both stared at him.

  
  


"What were you screaming Angelus about Cordelia?" Angel asked as he walked past them towards the main doors of the hotel. 

  
  


"You never did tell us how you knew Jade," Cordelia teased and leaned forward so that she could see the look on Angel's face clearly. Angel paused and looked at Jade and then Cordelia.

  
  


"It's the past Cordy," he said darkly," It doesn't matter. I'm sure Jade agrees."

  
  


"Absolutely," Jade nodded and then looked over at Lindsey," All that matters is the future."

  
  


Wesley walked out of his office and slammed a book down onto the desk angrily.

  
  


"Nothing!" he yelled," Absolutely buggering sod all. Okay, I think this is going to have to be a covert operation into Wolfram and Hart..."

  
  


"Oh no..." Cordelia interrupted,"...no coverts...no operations and definitely NO Wolfram and Harts."

  
  


"There's a lot that we need to know about them Cordelia," Wesley raged, hating the way she always tried to overrule his decisions," Not only is there this whole Lavuc thing but there is also what we discovered in Pylea..."

  
  


"Pylea?" Lindsey said," As in other dimension?"

  
  


"See we have our inside man..." Cordelia said, her eyes bright with panic at the memory of her vision.

  
  


"He knows less than we do about the case in hand Cordelia..."

  
  


"Can I interrupt?"

  
  


Everyone in the room whirled around at the sound of the voice that came from the doorway and Lindsey blinked twice in disbelief then stepped forward.

  
  


"What do you want Lilah?" he snapped.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Thirteen

  
  


"Well now you know that we know that you're back Lindsey," Lilah said, continuing her path into the foyer of the Hyperion and seeming calm even though Angel had stepped forward threateningly to stop her from entering. She looked around at her surroundings then locked eyes with Angel," Very nice, shame about the patronage."

  
  


"Well we have standards to maintain and you don't meet our criteria," Angel growled and felt the familiar bubble of rage build in his chest as she laughed at his comment. What was with these damn lawyers?

  
  


"I'm not here for trouble," Lilah said and then frowned as Lindsey erupted in a burst of mocking laughter," I'm here to warn him to get out of town," she added gazing at her ex-colleague.

  
  


"I'm not going anywhere," Lindsey replied, taking a seat defiantly and Angel saw a panicked expression flash across Lilah's face.

  
  


"Why does he have to leave?" Angel asked, walking past Lilah so that he could hold the door open for her imminent exit from his home.

  
  


"They know he's back...and Nathan seemed convinced that he wouldn't be around for much longer..."

  
  


"So you thought you would gain plus points and make sure he wasn't?" Cordelia snapped.

  
  


"No..." Lilah looked at Lindsey, begging him to explain what she meant, knowing that the others would not believe a word that came from her lips.

  
  


"When Nathan says something like that..."Lindsey reluctantly began,"...he means there is a death planned."

  
  


"A hit?" Angel asked.

  
  


"Possibly," Lilah nodded then turned back to Lindsey," I never did get to thank you for saving my life...and this is what I am trying to do as a favour in return. You didn't really think they would just let you walk did you?"

  
  


Lindsey shook his head and looked at the floor. He had known deep inside that this day would come, that at some point Wolfram and Hart would seek his head on a stick, but the knowing didn't make the hearing any easier.

  
  


"We'll leave," Jade said from the desk and Lindsey looked up at her," I wont have you dying for me Lindsey."

  
  


"You can leave now," Angel said to Lilah gruffly and watched her walk out of the hotel, noticing the way she kept glancing back to look at Lindsey, then he turned and walked down the steps again," Nobody is going anywhere."

  
  


"He'll die!" Jade shouted and Angel flinched at the sound of her raised voice, her passion for Lindsey suddenly throwing him off base," Now I am going to go and pack our bags and then we will be going..."

  
  


"To do what?" Angel yelled back, not quite believing how stubborn and unreasonable Jade was suddenly being," To run for the rest of your life...no, not yours, it doesn't really matter to you as you have an eternity to find a safe place. Lindsey's time is limited compared to yours...and the years will fly past Jade...that's the choice."

  
  


"What's the choice?" Jade challenged him to continue, stung by the reality of his words.

  
  


"To have Lindsey keep running, to ensure that he never knows security or safety or contentment," he paused," Or to stay here and fight these bastards and at least have a chance of winning."

  
  


"You know as well as I...."

  
  


"We'll discuss this in private," Angel snapped and stalked past Jade angrily. She sniffed and then straightened her back before following him, leaving Cordelia, Lindsey and Wesley to stare at each other in shock.

  
  


"I don't get a say in this it seems," Lindsey muttered and then raised his voice so the others could hear him," Anybody know what just happened there?"

  
  


***

  
  


"You are being unreasonable," Angel said, attempting to keep his voice low so that the others would not hear what they were about to say," Lavuc will keep hunting you no matter where you go Jade...and Lindsey doesn't have a chance..."

  
  


"Neither do we Angel," Jade interrupted," So the choice I have made is to keep on the move, to somehow convince Lindsey to let go at some point and then make sure that I don't put anybody else at risk."

  
  


"How noble Jade," Angel said sarcastically," You cant protect the world from someone like him. He will kill and torture whether or not you are there. We have to find a way to stop him..."

  
  


"I wont watch Lindsey die the way I did with Paul," Jade said bluntly, shaking her head as the tears threatened to fall from her eyes," I see what happened every day, every waking minute and I will not watch someone else die for me."

  
  


"If I had turned you..." Angel began, remembering the way Jade had seemed all too willing to succumb to his dark embrace,"...you wouldn't have seen it anymore?"

  
  


"Or if I had it wouldn't have mattered," Jade nodded her confirmation," I played Angelus and he played me and for one brief moment I thought I had won...but he almost killed you then and he will try to do the same again."

  
  


"There isn't a happy ending anywhere here Jade," Angel said softly," but this is what we do here, put our lives on the line to help people...I wont allow you to leave."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Fourteen

  
  


Lindsey considered barging through the door and demanding that both Angel and Jade tell him what the hell was so important that they had to go elsewhere to discuss it but he realised that this was something the old him would have done and that it was unlikely to please Jade if he did so. Instead he tapped once and waited.

  
  


"Come in," Angel called in a subdued voice.

  
  


"I have one thing to say," Lindsey said as he walked through the door," and that is, if we don't have all the facts then we cant be prepared and that is putting us in danger."

  
  


"Sit down," Angel said, not looking at him and Jade averted her gaze too, unnerving Lindsey further, the beat of his heart thudding louder in his ears," We owe it to you to tell you how we know each other I guess."

  
  


He waited for a few unbearably long minutes, not aware that he was holding his breath until he released it shakily as Jade started speaking.

  
  


"I guess you know a lot about Angelus right?" she asked, finally looking at Lindsey," Well I'm probably not something you knew about...Angelus almost turned me in 1769, I practically begged him to..." she trailed off,"...Lavuc discovered us just as Angelus began to drain me and nearly killed him..."

  
  


"Nearly killed Angelus?" Lindsey interrupted," but Angelus was practically unkillable, the scourge of the earth, the most notorious vampire that..."

  
  


"What we are trying to tell you Lindsey is that we are up against an unbelievable force, the full extent of his power is not known but is definitely something to be reckoned with," Angel paused making sure that his words were sinking in then continued," Its quite possible that we will fail in this mission and that one or more may die..."

  
  


"You're giving me the option of getting out," Lindsey said, maintaining eye contact with Jade," Not something I'm going to do."

  
  


"I think you should have all the facts first," Angel started again.

  
  


"No, I don't need them, they wont change my mind..." Lindsey began, shaking his head firmly.

  
  


"He will automatically target the person who he feels is going to take Jade from him and will do everything he can to kill you."

  
  


"That was the facts?" Lindsey laughed," Listen, I'm used to being in danger, kinda a habit of mine, this is nothing new."

  
  


"He'll prey on your weaknesses Lindsey,"Jade said softly, placing her hand on his arm as she did so," He'll use anything he can against you....we just thought you should know that he can sense what your Achilles heal is."

  
  


Lindsey was quiet for a moment as he tried to imagine exactly which of his weaknesses would be used against him, he had so many...his family, Darla, his need to belong and be needed by someone, anyone....he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

  
  


"Tell me the story," he whispered.

  
  


"The story?" Angel sounded confused and Lindsey opened his eyes again and stared straight at him.

  
  


"Of Angelus and Flora," he intentionally used their old names, not willing to imagine them together as they were now. Angel wasnt who he was then, neither was Jade and Lindsey had fallen so deeply for her, despite his continual self-denial to the fact, that it tore him apart to think of her with anybody but him. The tension was so thick that Lindsey imagined he was actually breathing it into himself but he said no more as he waited for either of them to continue.

  
  


"Okay," Angel eventually started," As you know it was 1769......"

  
  
  
  


****

  
  
  
  


_1769 - New Hampshire, England._

  
  
  
  


_ Angelus felt the excitement building in his chest as the carriage bounced over cobbled streets, the sound of the black mare's hooves click clacking through the night. He was eager for action and had mentioned this relentlessly to his companion, his sire, Darla._

  
  


_ "Angelus," she said sweetly, though the underlying tone was hard with warning," Excitement and action will come with time, I have a little surprise in store."_

  
  


_ "Surprise?" Angelus probed further. He didnt think he would ever tire of the life they were living together, the power and control they exerted over the weak mortals that littered the world like vermin. Yes that was it...they were the cats and all others were mice for them to tease, taunt, play with and then kill. Oh he would never get enough of the way that felt._

  
  


_ "Wait and see sweetheart," Darla replied," Although if you are hungry then I suggest we stop somewhere before we arrive as we are not going for dinner."_

  
  


_ "Driver!" Angelus yelled through the small window through which he could see the man's back and the way he jumped in fear as he heard his passenger's bellow," Pull over here!"_

  
  


_ " Aye sir," came the muffled replied and Angelus felt the carriage shudder to a stop then leapt out into the moon bathed night. He looked around at his surroundings and saw a girl walking across the street towards a tavern._

  
  


_ She was dainty and graceful, not one for inhabiting places full of drunken louts and murderers and Angelus was momentarily captivated by her beauty. He pondered stalking her, finding out all there was to know about this strange woman but then dismissed it as he recalled Darla's plans. He didnt have time for a chase, just enough for a delicious kill. He slowly approached her so as not to frighten her in any way._

  
  


_ "Excuse me," he said, his tone soft so as to inspire trust," I was just wondering what a young lady is doing out after dark in such a dangerous neighbourhood."_

  
  


_ She turned to him then, her blonde curls folding beautifully around her face, drawing Angelus' attention to her hazel eyes which almost looked amber under the candle lamps. The pain in them startled him and he stepped back slightly, stunned by her reply._

  
  


_ "Looking to die."_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Fifteen

  
  


_ Angelus was momentarily at a loss of how to continue but then a cold smile spread across his face and he took the girl's arm with his hand, his grip tight incase she should decide to struggle at the last minute._

  
  


_ "Perhaps I can help," he said with a cruel laugh and then his face changed, his eyes a fierce yellow under the grotesque furrow's of his vampire brow. His teeth seemed to sparkle in the lamplight as he lunged towards her, not concerned by the way she offered her neck to him, he wasnt about to question her motives, if she wanted to die so badly then he was glad to take the opportunity._

  
  


_ "Angelus!" he heard Darla yell from the carriage door and he turned his face to look at her, angry at the interruption," Step away!"_

  
  


_ "What?" he still held the girl by her arm, pinning her to his chest and he heard her moan in dismay, making him wonder whether she was as upset by Darla as he," She wants this and with me being a gentleman I am only carrying out her wishes."_

  
  


_ "Gentleman?" Darla cocked her head to one side and then laughed," Flora, would you say he was a gentleman?"_

  
  


_ Angelus dropped the girl and she landed on the cobbled streets with a bump, crying out in pain and then covering her face with her hands as she sobbed pitifully._

  
  


_ "Oh for goodness sake, get up and stop snivelling," Darla snapped, approaching the girl and pulling her to her feet," I'm not about to ask what you are doing out without an escort but I think we should take you home."_

  
  


_ "No, please no," Flora mumbled and Darla tutted and dragged her towards the carriage._

  
  


_ "Now get in or I will let my boy hurt you," Darla noticed the hope that danced in the girl's eyes and shook her head slowly," No Flora, not kill you, just hurt...he is so good at that, arent you love?"_

  
  


_ "I'm hungry," Angelus replied petulantly and Darla sighed loudly before seizing the driver by his neck, twisting it like a birds then threw him at Angelus's feet," I suppose he'll do."_

  
  


_ "Yes love, and then you will have to drive. It would be rather unseemly for a lady to do that," Darla said as she pushed Flora into the carriage and then climbed in after her, leaning close to her new companion as she did so and hissing in her ear," He's my boy and I will not allow you to harm him. If I think for one second..."_

  
  


_ "You'll do what?" Flora snapped, filled with hate towards the blonde woman who seemed to control everything and everyone around her," Kill me? Do it, please."_

  
  


_ "Its rather pathetic to beg to die," Darla said and turned to watch Angelus drain the life from the burlesque coach driver, captivated by the way the blood shimmered as it dripped down his chin," You'll never get the boys that way."_

  
  
  
  


_*****_

  
  


_ The mansion stood at the top of the hill overlooking the entire village and the windows were lit up with the flickering light from the crystal chandeliers filled with candles. Flora stared up at it with the same fear and foreboding that she always felt when she saw its looming form, the dark recesses invisible to the human eye but all to clear to her, she knew what existed there._

  
  


_ "Beautiful isnt it?" Darla called to Angelus as he steered the horse through the wrought iron gates and up the driveway towards it._

  
  


_ "Why are we here?" Flora heard him ask and she shivered as she imagined the possibilities of their visit. Lavuc loved to form partnerships to serve whatever business he was embarking in at the time but none ever lasted and Flora considered telling that to Darla but knew that she would simply laugh and dismiss her protestations._

  
  


_ "This will be our new home for a while darling," Darla replied and looked at Flora, attempting to gauge her reaction," Lavuc is expecting us, I cant imagine why the lady of the house forgot about our arrival."_

  
  


_ Angelus pulled the horse's reins until it stopped at the foot of the steps leading to the heavy mahogany doors. He jumped off his seat, his boots crunching on the gravel and then opened the door and took Darla's hand, helping her down gracefully. Flora tried to push herself back against the seat, dreading the moment she entered the place she was forced to call home but really viewed as a prison._

  
  


_ "My lady," Angelus said, his eyes daring her to resist him and Flora saw the defiance and hunger that lay in that gaze realising that Angelus was not one to be told what to do and wondering if she tempted him long enough that he may decide to taste her anyway. She took his hand and allowed him to lift her out of the carriage and brushed her head against his as he placed her on the ground. She heard his low, almost inaudible, growl and decided in that instant that the monster in gentleman's clothes would be her killer and her saviour._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Sixteen

  
  


_ Lavuc was sitting in a high backed chair, facing the roaring fire when Flora entered, closely followed by Darla and Angelus. He didnt turn to see who had walked in but Flora noticed that his hands had tightened their grip on the armrests._

  
  


_ "Where have you been?" he asked her, his voice heavy with the anger he felt._

  
  


_ "I went for a walk," Flora replied and nervously took a seat, then picked up her needlework and started to sew, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she threaded the twine through the holes._

  
  


_ "Alone?" she felt his eyes on her but did not raise her head to meet them. She bit her lip and continued to move the needle in and out of the material._

  
  


_ "She was on her way back here when we offered her a lift," Darla said and smiled sweetly as Lavuc raised himself from his chair and turned to look at her," Its been a long time Lavuc."_

  
  


_ "You're late," Lauc said testily then stalked past her, indicating with a wave of his hand that she should follow. Angelus straightened himself and started walking after them only to be met with the steely gaze of the warlock," Not you. I will send for you when you are needed."_

  
  


_ Angelus was about to protest, despite the way Darla looked at him, her eyes demanding that he tow the line and act respectfully towards the old man, when he realised that he was about to be left alone with the girl. He nodded once, hoping that he had managed to disguise his joy with a frown and watched as the door was pulled closed behind Lavuc and Darla. He turned slowly and watched the trembling girl as she sewed, her eyes focussing obsessively on what she was doing._

  
  


_ "Alone at last," he said and smiled as she raised her head, her beautiful eyes shining under the canopy of eyelashes," Now what shall we do with our time? Talk? Play? Dance?"_

  
  


_ "What would you like to do?" Although her voice was quiet it was unwavering, as though she knew what he planned to do and did not fear it._

  
  


_ "I'd like to know why you want to die. Sob stories always do it for me," Angelus mocked her, not really interested in her reasons but feeling that any information he gained could be used to his advantage._

  
  


_ "My life is a farce, I want to die, there is no other reason," she replied. She held is gaze and Angelus felt a strange sense of respect for the woman he planned to kill. She could be fun, he thought, if he decided to grant her immortality by his side. _

  
  


_ "Maybe you would like to see the world, instead of being trapped inside this place? Maybe you would like to see and feel the way I do, do the things I love?"_

  
  


_ "Maybe," her reply was simple and Angelus took this as acceptance and invitation, leaning forward and grabbing her by her arm, twisting is roughly as he dragged her to her feet. Yes he would turn her, he would sire her, but first he wanted some fun, he wanted to taste her fear._

_ He pulled her hair so that her neck was exposed to him and ran his teeth across the jugular, feeling the blood pumping within it as her heartbeat increased. His nails were digging into the skin on her arm and he felt the blood trickling underneath his fingertips. Still she did not struggle or even cry out. He moved his hand from her hair and ran it over her face, exploring the contours of her cheek and jaw, feeling the way her eyelashes delicately fluttered over his fingers as he moved them up to smooth the hair from her brow._

  
  


_ "I will never be afraid to die," she whispered," No matter how long you make me wait. Just do it for Godssake."_

  
  


_ "God would never want this. You are turning your back on God," he murmured in her ear and at the moment he felt her gasp at the realisation that he was about to damn her, her plunged his teeth into her neck._

  
  


_ He had never tasted blood like hers, so pure and sweet, and he was sure he would be intoxicated by it. He continued to gulp it down, holding her body close to his as she cried out at the pain, knowing that soon enough she would succumb to the darkness, ready to either die or be reborn. God was nothing compared to him, he had more power than God._

  
  


_ "Noooo!" Angelus heard the roar behind him and reluctantly raised his head from the ivory skin he had buried his face into. He saw Lavuc racing towards him and before he could step back he was being thrown through the air, his body slamming into the wall and sliding to the floor._

  
  


_ He looked up at the furious figure looming over him and laughed. Did this old man really think he could hurt someone like him? He continued laughing as Lavuc grabbed the collar of his waistcoat and pulled him to his feet, the emerald gaze meeting Angelus' gold, each bright and intense with emotions. Angelus saw Flora's body on the floor and was suddenly extremely annoyed at the missed chance. He had really wanted to make her his childe and now this imbecile had ruined it and left her to die on the floor._

  
  


_ "You...you..." Lavuc spat and Angelus glared at him._

  
  


_ "Me...me...what? Say what you have to say old man, before I kill you."_

  
  


_ "Kill me?" Lavuc suddenly threw his head back and released a loud guffaw of laughter," You are out of your league Vampire. Nothing can defeat me."_

  
  


_ "I'm sure I can try," Angelus replied and then gasped as Lavuc grabbed hold of his throat and heat began to sear the skin under the warlock's fingers. He struggled under the grasp, his eyes bulging with rage and fear, and his feet pedalled at the air beneath him._

  
  


_ "She is mine. She will always be mine and nobody, not you or anyone else, will ever take her from me. You pitiful idiot with your grandiose opinion of your power. You are as dispensible and fragile as any human. In fact you are inferior to them for you cannot even feel the sun on your skin, or the warmth of fire, see how you struggle at the sensation of heat on your skin," Lavuc paused and smiled, his thin lips turning upwards into a sneer," And wood...of all things...can reduce you to ashes. Pathetic."_

  
  


_ Angelus saw Lavuc reaching for the stake which protruded from within the folds of the black cloack that was draped over his shoulders and he upped his attempts to escape from the fierce grip which held him in the air. He was going to die. The realisation hit him at an amazing speed and he started to close his eyes in resignation when he felt the stone floor beneath him._

  
  


_ He opened his eyes and saw the cloaked form on the floor beside him then felt a hand grab his and pull him out to the carriage as he coughed and choked his way into the night, cursing the warlock and his failed attempts as he did so._

  
  


_ No matter, he decided as Darla stomped and screamed in a fit of jealously, he would get another chance. Of that he was sure. He would have revenge of Lavuc and claim Flora as his reward._

  
  


_****_

  
  


"Now you know," Angel said and placed his hands on top of the desk, he avoided looking at Jade, the shared memory of their encounter still unbelievably fresh and the emotions still high from that time over 200 years ago.

  
  


"She made a lasting impression then?" Lindsey said, his eyes sad at the thought of the pain and misery Flora must have been subjected to through her life if she wished to die so badly.

  
  


"She had no fear of me, I had never met a human who was like that," Angel replied and then corrected himself with a shake of his head, " I mean she had no fear of Angelus."

  
  


"Do you still want to die?" Lindsey asked Jade and did not look at her incase the answer lay in her eyes. He wanted her to say that since she had met him her desire for life had been renewed, or that she no longer wanted to die straight away.

  
  


"Eventually," she said and Lindsey sighed," Not now, I want to make sure that Lavuc can no longer hurt people and there are many things I would like to see and do that he always prevented me from doing before."

  
  


"Like what?" Lindsey said and this time he met her gaze.

  
  


"I want to see a musical, not the opera's he would always escort me to, something beautiful and sad and funny...."

  
  


"I'll see what I can do," Lindsey smiled and stood up, glancing at Angel as he walked towards the door," Thank-you for telling me."

  
  


"You're welcome?" Angel replied and then smiled as both he and Lindsey realised how awkward they had felt being polite," Now get the hell out of my office."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Seventeen.

  
  


Darla sat and stared out of the window, the folds of darkness covering the interior of the motel she had booked into a few months ago. She hated it there, she despised the smell of damp that clung to her nostrils and the feeling of being trapped and defeated that grew with each passing day.

  
  


The desire for revenge was eating her from the inside out and her eyes searched the horizon of the city as though she could see the Hyperion from where she stood. Oh she would bring him down, if it meant she had to kill the only thing she had ever wanted then she would do it.

  
  


She turned as she heard a sharp tap at her door and then walked slowly towards it. Never before had she been afraid but since she had been unfortunate enough to deal with Wolfram and Hart she wasnt as sure of her power as before.

  
  


She pulled open the door and stepped back, the expression on her face unchanging, then whirled around and returned to her position by the window, leaving the door open for her guest to enter.

  
  


"Mmm the smell of despair," Drusilla said in a sing song voice as she stepped into her Grand-sire's quarters," It clings to my nose like the aroma of roses."

  
  


"It smells nothing like roses," Darla snapped then turned her head to look at the frail but deadly vampire who was twirling around the room," Where the hell have you been?"

  
  


"On vacation," Drusilla replied, stopping her dance and pouting at a memory she was not sharing," I travelled some and tasted the local cuisine."

  
  


"And Spike?" Darla asked. Her plan had been to gather the family together again, she would bring back Angelus and Dru was supposed to have found Spike.

  
  


"He's gone,"Dru huffily dropped onto the bed and stared up at Darla pitifully," He smelled of her so long ago and then he became her lap dog. It filled my body with disgust to see him like that."

  
  


"Who's lap dog?" Darla was quickly becoming tired with Dru's ramblings and riddles and was beginning to wish that she had never come back.

  
  


"The slayer's," Dru hissed and Darla's eyes widened with surprise and hate. That little blonde cheerleader had sunk her claws into yet another of her family? Drusilla stood and whirled around again.

  
  


"His heart hurts now," she laughed," So full of pain and misery that it screams into the night. She is gone, she sleeps with the worms. They crawl over her, eat her skin."

  
  


"Buffy?" Darla felt the name heavy on her tongue.

  
  


"Gone gone gone," Drusilla sang and Darla laughed. Her boy must be hurting now too, he would be weak and easy to take out. He would regret ever making her feel the way he had, he would regret making her feel like a whore again.

  
  


****

  
  


Lindsey smiled as Jade walked down the stairs, dressed in one of the gowns Cordelia had been saving for "a premier or something". The gold of the dress caught the lights and accentuated the sparkle in her eyes, causing Lindsey's breath to catch in his throat.

  
  


"Do you think its too much?" Jade asked, looking down at her clothes self-consciously.

  
  


"God no, you look amazing," Lindsey replied and then noticed that the room was quiet. He turned to see that all eyes were resting on Jade and Gunn and Wesley shifted shamefully as Lindsey glared at them.

  
  


"Wow!" Cordelia exclaimed as she emerged from the office," You look so good in that!"

  
  


She hurried to Jade's side and turned her round so that she could see how the dress fitted and then stepped back and smiled. Lindsey watched as she rushed to a desk drawer and retrieved a silk pashmina and draped it over Jade's arms.

  
  


"Perfect," she said," Now all we need is for Lindsey to wear a suit..."

  
  


"I don't know," Lindsey began to protest, he hadnt worn a suit since he quit his job and he hated the memory of his employment. He cast his eyes down at his shirt and trousers and grudgingly admitted to himself that Cordelia had a point, he didnt look worthy to escort such a beautiful woman anywhere.

  
  


"You don't know?" Cordelia scoffed," You know you look good suited up so save the modesty for someone who doesnt know you. Now you have a few hours to go out and buy something to wear," Lindsey nodded and sighed as Cordelia began shooing him towards the door," Go on then! Get!"

  
  


Lindsey stepped out into the courtyard and looked up at the dark sky. He hated when night came so quickly, so early, leaving the city to the mercy of the creatures that thrived in darkness for so much longer than normal. He pulled his coat tighter around him and started to walk towards his truck.

  
  


"Lindsey, what a surprise," he heard the sweet voice say from behind him and turned quickly to look at her," We must take this opportunity to catch up."

  
  


"Darla," he whispered as he felt a hand cover his mouth and drag him into the shadows. He had known this day would come but had expected to feel differently when it did, now all he was feeling was panic and rage. How dare she, how dare she, how dare she?


	3. Darkness Devours 18 - 20

Chapter Eighteen.

  
  


Lindsey slowly came to and stared at his surroundings groggily. His head was pounding and when he tried to move his hands to massage his temples he realised they were bound behind his back.

  
  


"Ah Lindsey, at last," Darla whispered in his ear while smoothing her hands through his hair sensually," We were beginning to think that perhaps Drusilla had been a little rougher than necessary."

  
  


"What do you want?" Lindsey snapped and attempted to pull his head back from her. She met his eyes and for a moment her rage and indignation matched his own, then the callousness returned.

  
  


"He is not ours either," Drusilla mewed, closing her eyes as though the realisation was bringing her to tears," He is tainted by love."

  
  


"He has always been tainted by love," Darla said, releasing her hold on Lindsey and turning to Drusilla," Remember how like a love sick schoolboy he is with me?"

  
  


"No, no, no grand-mummy, his heart is full of love for someone else. Pretty little girl waiting for death, dancing through the shadows looking for the light. Teasing and tempting the darkness so that it will take her, eat her whole....oooo, the darkness almost devoured her...almost drained her....Angelus, Angelus, Angelus danced with the girl," Drusilla's eyes snapped open and then she laughed," Pretty little boy will be eaten then spat out, nobody wants him, nobody cares."

  
  


Lindsey stared at Drusilla in disbelief. It always amazed him how much she could see and feel, how accurate her riddles where if you knew what to listen to. How could she know about Jade in such detail? Unless Angelus had boasted of his attempts which Lindsey seriously doubted, Angelus would not be one to broadcast his near misses. Lindsey watched as Darla stood still, her back rigid with shock and then spun around and grabbed his hair, twisting his head back so that he would look deep into her yellow eyes.

  
  


"Flora McKenzie? She is still alive? You know her?" she roared and Lindsey smiled at her fury. Angel was right, Darla despite her protests that human emotions did not affect her, was constantly consumed by jealousy towards any female who threatened her dominancy.

  
  


"Yeah she's alive and with Angel right now," he said, watching as the tumulus emotions that were affecting Darla passed across her face like a cloud. She drew her hand back and brought it down across Lindsey's face so hard that his vision blurred and his mouth was filled with the taste of his own blood," Why so upset?"

  
  


Darla glared at him and then paced the floor between him and Drusilla, her hands clenched into fists at her side. She was muttering something about nobody taking her boy and she looked increasingly manic.

  
  


"Pretty death," Drusilla suddenly blurted, causing both Lindsey and Darla to snap out of their thoughts," The black knight approaches on his steed and will duel with the white prince. So much pain, so much anguish, gone gone gone..."

"Angel is out of his depth," Darla hissed at Lindsey," Lavuc will kill him for sure this time and I will not be there to save him."

  
  


****

  
  


"Lindsey should have been back by now," Jade said fearfully and Angel silently agreed. Something was definitely wrong. His initial reaction was that Lindsey had come to his senses and skipped town but he had known almost immediately that the feelings he had for Jade made this notion ridiculous.

  
  


"Gunn," Angel said and Gunn looked up at him," I think you and I should go out and look for him."

  
  


"Sure thing," Gunn replied pushing himself up from his seat," Any idea where to start?"

  
  


"I have a bad feeling I do," Angel muttered and stormed across to retrieve his coat. Wesley began to close the book he had been studying, obviously preparing to accompany the two men but Angel placed his hand on his arm to halt him," Not you. I need someone to stay here with Cordelia and Jade. Keep them safe."

  
  


"Absolutely," Wesley nodded his affirmation and reopened the book. Angel knew that Wesley was still researching a way to defeat Lavuc and tried to bury his sense of foreboding, if anyone could do it Wesley was the man.

  
  


"Okay," Angel swept towards the door with Gunn in quick pursuit," I think we should start near the park."

  
  


"The park?" Gunn asked, his brow furrowing with confusion," Lindsey got a thing about trees and drug addicts?"

  
  


"No, but I think Dru would," Angel whispered ominously, the smell of his childe still hanging heavy in the night air.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Nineteen.

  
  


Lavuc glared at the lights of the city of Angels, his blood on fire with rage and desire for revenge. He knew that he should have pursued that damn vampire when he had first had chance, he should have hunted him down and ripped the head from his neck, he would have taken great pleasure in watching his body turn to ashes and fly away upon the wind.

  
  


He tapped the window between him and the driver and waited impatiently for it to slide back. He still could not get used to technology of any kind, felt strange not pulling into a village upon his black stallion but he knew that it was impractical to say the least. Instead he was carried around inside a black limosine, an unworthy but practical replacement.

  
  


"Sir?" his chauffeur asked nervously and Lavuc leant back against the cool leather seats and rolled his head upon his neck as though suffering from a cramp.

  
  


"How long til we arrive?" he snapped, his voice ice-cold and heavy with evil,"I am growing weary of sitting in this thing doing nothing."

  
  


"About fifteen minutes sir," the man replied, still concentrating on the road ahead," Are we going straight to Mr Reed's offices?"

  
  


"Drive by the Hyperion Hotel first," Lavuc said as he stared out into the night again. He could feel Jade again, could sense that she was there, could almost taste the new-found sense of hope she was currently experiencing and he did not like it,"I want to see where the damn beast lives now."

  
  


****

  
  


"I want you to tell me everything you know Lindsey," Darla said from the seat she had now taken beside the dusty window pane. Lindsey desperately tried to gain his bearings again and kept looking for clues as to where he was being held.

  
  


"I know nothing Darla, you should know that," he replied, choosing his words carefully," I knew nothing then and do you really think Angel and I have been sitting having heart to hearts over tea and biscuits?"

  
  


"Sarcasm does not help matters Lindsey," Darla whispered but did not turn to look at him," Now about Flora..."

  
  


"Jade," Lindsey interrupted and Darla half turned to look at him with raised eyebrows," She is called Jade now."

  
  


"She is still Flora, just because you paint a rose blue doesnt mean it isnt a rose anymore," Darla replied testily," What does she want with Angelu...Angel?"

  
  


"The same thing I do," Lindsey continued to stare straight at Darla, searching her mannerisms for a sign of what she was planning to do," She wants him to help her."

  
  


"I'm sure she does," Darla muttered quietly and then stood up and walked across to Drusilla, bending forwards slightly to whisper in her ear. Lindsey strained to catch what they were saying but was frustrated to realise he was simply too far away," And Buffy?"

  
  


"Whats the sudden interest in the women Angel knows?" Lindsey spat and felt the familiar bubble of jealousy encompass him," Its not like he gives a damn about you anymore."

  
  


"He will always give a damn!" Darla screamed and flew at Lindsey, dragging her nails across his cheek and eye, momentarily blinding him with pain. His head lolled on his chest and he felt the moisture of his blood dripping onto his shirt collar," You know nothing, you worthless, spineless pathetic swine!"

  
  


"Its nice to know what you really think of me," Lindsey whispered and closed his eyes. He so wanted to be with Jade just now, wanted her to save him from what he was sure was to follow. Darla had no more use for him which certainly meant his death would be next on the agenda.

He glared up at her and was about to continue the truths which they were now partaking in when the door crashed open.

  
  


"Darla," Angel said, striding in," How many times to I have to tell you to disappear?"

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Twenty.

  
  
  
  


"You should know that I will always be with you Angel," Darla said, walking towards him, her hips swaying sensually as she moved," My blood is mixed with that which runs through your veins."

  
  


"As does a million other people's," Angel replied coldly," Just because I tasted it does not mean that I will be forever attached to you."

  
  


"Wrong wrong," Darla snarled," You are until the day we are both dust. I didnt leave your thoughts when you staked my before, why should it be any different now?"

  
  


Angel moved slowly to the side of the room, casting his eyes over the musty surroundings and noticing Drusilla sitting, unusually subdued, in the corner. He glared back at Darla and ran a finger across a dusty shelf and snorted in disgust.

  
  


"You could do with a cleaner," he mocked," What happened? Did you eat her?"

  
  


"I don't live here," Darla snapped as though the very thought was a massive insult to her person," Dru chose it because she felt it matched our purpose at present."

  
  


"What purpose would that be? World domination?" Angel's eyes dared Darla to snap which he sincerely hoped she was about to do. When Darla flew into one of her rages then it was far easier to trick her into letting her guard down. 

  
  


"Interrogation!" Darla screamed pettily and Angel rolled his eyes while noticing with some hope that Gunn was moving behind Darla's back towards Lindsey.

  
  


"How passe," he sneered, touching the stake he had fitted in a holster, making sure that Darla spotted it," Why didnt you just ask me? Oh I get it, you have the same old sense of the melodramatic, am I right?"

  
  


"You bastard!" Darla shrieked and rushed towards him, caught slightly off balance as Angel stepped back and caught her wrists, twirling her around so that she was trapped against his chest and his arm was tight against her throat.

  
  


"We're going to walk out of here Darla," he snarled through his vampire mouth," And you and Dru are going to stay the hell out of our way. You are severely trying my patience and you know how I get when you do that."

  
  


"Ooo it burns," Drusilla chimed.

  
  


"Thats right and if you truly think I wont do the job properly next time then you are sorely mistaken, I had a lot on my plate just now and no time for these childish games," he waited until Gunn had released Lindsey's restraints and they were moving quickly towards the door before he released his hold," Stay the hell away from me."

  
  


Drusilla still sat in her chair, obviously caught in a vision of some sort, and Angel was unnerved by her lack of action. He turned his back on the two women and walked towards the exit slowly, trying to fight the urge to rush over and shake Drusilla until she told him what she was seeing, what was so important and big that she had allowed them to escape but he managed to step out into the night without looking back.

  
  


"I'll kill her before she gets you," he heard Darla cry out and without turning kicked the door shut.

  
  


****

  
  


"Why the hell didnt you do anything?" Darla raged and Drusilla looked up at her with child like eyes, big and wide and fearful.

  
  


"Don't be mad," she sniffed," Anarchy is approaching. Death is life, death is not the end, returning returning."

  
  


"What?" Darla threw her arms wide in exasperation," Will you stop confusing me and talk sense for a moment?"

  
  


"The sense is there if you know what to see," Drusilla replied, her eyes suddenly hard as steel," I see it and I don't like it and I don't want to die."

  
  


Darla was speechless and almost collapsed into a chair, placing her hands over her face. She had always loved the sense of power, of being able to do anything and kill anyone. She had always had a sense of self-preservation and now suddenly she found it difficult to execute even the simplest task. She had lost Angel and her chances and while she still had Drusilla she was beginning to think she would prefer to be alone, at least silence did not hurt her head.

  
  


"I need to eat," she finally said and felt her skin crawl with annoyance as Drusilla stood up and bounced up and down excitedly," Oh grow up will you, you're supposed to be my mother!"

  
  


****

  
  


Cordelia smiled as she made coffee. It had been so long since she had a female that she could comfortably class as a friend and yet she had that feeling about Jade, as though she could tell her anything. She hoped that Jade would find peace of a sort, that she would be granted mortal life and then they could really be buddies.

  
  


Wesley was talking to her now and Cordelia eavesdropped for a moment before getting extremely bored by the whole mythological aspect and she rummaged through the cupboards for chocolate, determined to steal Jade from Wesley for a good old girlie chat that would hopefully take her mind of Lindsey's absence.

  
  


"Where are they?" she heard Jade ask and Wesley trying to placate her without success, then she heard the door open and let out a sigh of relief before turning and walking into the foyer. She gasped as she saw Wesley standing in front of Jade and three men with guns pointed straight at him.

  
  


"Wesley!" she screamed as a gun shot was fired and watched as he managed to dive out of the way, saving himself but leaving Jade unprotected. Then, as she saw Jade being grabbed by one of the men, she rushed forward and caught her arm, determined that she would not let them take her.

  
  


"Let go you stupid bitch!" one of the men yelled and she felt his fist cracking against her jaw.

  
  


"No, bring her," the man who was struggling to keep hold of Jade demanded," She's their seer, if we have her then they wont have a clue okay?"

  
  


Cordelia screamed for Wesley once more, her eyes frantically searching for a way to free herself and Jade when she was grabbed from behind and a hand went over her mouth. She heard her own muffled scream as the room began to spin and then blackness took hold.


	4. Darkness Devours 21-25

Chapter Twenty-One.

  
  


Cordelia lifted her head and winced at the pain which shot through her skull. Her head felt huge and it took her a while to gather her thoughts and remember what had happened then she felt panic clutch at her chest.

  
  


"Jade?" she whispered and waited for a sound to signify that Jade was somewhere in the dark room with her. She heard a sigh and then a moan of confusion and held her breath.

  
  


"Cordelia?" Jade sounded terrified and lost and Cordelia wished that she could reach out and comfort her in some way but as she had already discovered her hands were literally tied.

  
  


"Yeah its me Jade, do you know where we are?" Cordelia heard Jade's sobs and bit her lip in an attempt to stop her own,"Should we play anywhere but here for a while?"

  
  


She knew it was a childish thing to suggest but she no longer cared, for the first time in ages she felt immense fear claw at her skin, she didn't know where they were so how the hell were Angel and the others supposed to figure it out? The men who had abducted them had not been mere mentally challenged hoods, they had known all about her and while it didn't take a genius to connect the event with her earlier vision and deduce that it was Wolfram and Hart behind it, it still did not explain where they were being held.

  
  


"Anywhere but here?" Jade sounded confused by her suggestion and Cordelia found it hard to believe that in all the years Jade had been held captive by Lavuc that she had no played the game.

  
  


"Yeah, where would you like to be most in the world..." Cordelia began to explain and was interrupted by Jade's simple answer,

  
  


"With Lindsey."

  
  


She was silent for a moment, processing the now uncertain knowledge that Jade had fallen for the ambiguous and complex man before she took a deep breath and allowed herself to tell Jade something she could not know for a fact.

  
  


"He'll save you Jade," she whispered," He and Angel will get us out of this."

  
  


****

  
  


"Where is she? What happened?" Lindsey raged as Wesley sat on the sofa and began to explain everything to Angel.

  
  


"As I am trying to explain Lindsey," Wesley said, staring straight at the ex-lawyer,"I don't know, it all happened so quickly, safe to assume though that your former employers have something to do with it."

  
  


"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out," Lindsey snapped," but I came here to keep her safe and yet she's gone and they are doing god knows what to her. You do know that they will hand her back to Lavuc don't you?"

Angel nodded and began pacing the floor. He had hoped they would be able to gain the advantage of bringing Lavuc to their turf but that hope was now gone, as much as he was loathe and afraid to do it they would have to go to him. He knew that Wesley would have done everything short of getting himself killed to protect the girls but the sad fact was he had let them be taken without any hint as to where they were now.

  
  


"Lindsey," he said and for the first time he placed his hands on his shoulders as a friend not in an act of aggression, something which didn't escape Lindsey's notice," Where are Wolfram and Hart likely to hold them?"

  
  


"There are a few places they use for situations like this," Lindsey replied but then his eyes darkened again," I would reckon we can strike them off the list. They are bound to have taken them some place I know nothing about. They have the advantage here Angel."

  
  


"I know," Angel mused for a moment then looked back at him," Do you think Lilah might know?" 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Twenty-Two.

  
  


Cordelia could hear Jade crying again and was beginning to worry about her. Sure it was dark and scary but Jade hadn't stuck her as irrational or a scaredy-cat up until now. She ssshed and soothed her as best she could but Jade's tears were beginning to get to her.

  
  


"Jade, you have to tell me what's wrong," she insisted gently and heard Jade gulp back the tears.

  
  


"He's going to do it again, I just know it," Jade whimpered," Whenever I disobeyed him this was my punishment."

  
  


"Locked in a dark room?" 

  
  


"Yeah, but not just that. He would tie me up in the darkness and then release all sorts into the room with me, rats, cockroaches...all sorts. And he would leave me at their mercy, leave me in the darkness so I could feel them crawl over me or brush past me....I cant stand it anymore Cordelia," Jade's voice became high pitched as the hysteria began to take hold and Cordelia shivered as she thought of being locked up with vermin and insects.

  
  


"Is he here?" she eventually asked, trying to block out the image which was flooding her head and wondering whether her skin crawling was due to a cockroach attempting to make her skin its home.

  
  


"I think so," Jade murmured and began crying again. She had been a fool to believe that she could ever escape him she realised, no-body could defeat him and in her selfishness she had put other lives in danger, she deserved whichever punishment he deemed to give her.

  
  


"Jade, we'll get out of this," Cordelia repeated, although she was believing it less with each passing moment," We just have to keep telling ourselves that okay?"

  
  


"Darkness devours Cordelia," Jade replied cryptically and then she went quiet, only her breathing audible through the blackness.

  
  


****

  
  


Lindsey straightened his back and rolled his head until the cramp in his neck subsided then he raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door in front of him. He waited for what seemed like an eternity until he heard then lock click and a bolt being scraped back and gave a weak, unfeeling smile as Lilah's face emerged through the crack.

  
  


"Lindsey!" she gasped and he watched as she quickly regained her cool exterior," To what do I owe the..."

  
  


"Lilah, I don't know if I trust you or whether I am making a mistake coming here but I really need your help," he blurted and stared at her eyes, looking for a sign that she was about to dupe him.

  
  


"About Jade?" she replied solemnly and when Lindsey nodded pulled back the door to allow him entry," I don't know much."

  
  


"Why not?" Lindsey insisted as he walked into her home," I mean, you're the head of the special project...."

  
  


"For some reason Nathan does not class Jade in that, despite her connection with Angel, she is essentially everything to do with Lavuc and therefore Nathan's case."

  
  


"Oh," Lindsey sat down as he felt the unfamiliar deflation of defeat.

  
  


"I know that Lavuc adores luxury," she added and Lindsey snapped his head up to look at her," He thinks he is a king and should therefore be treated as such and I doubt when he has her within his grasp that he would be willing to have her held anywhere away from him."

  
  


"So you're saying....?"

  
  


"If you find Lavuc, you've found Jade," Lilah nodded and smiled before walking towards her kitchen," While you're here why don't we take this opportunity to catch up? I have a bottle of Bordeaux chilling in the refrigerator if you would like a glass?"

  
  


"No time," Lindsey practically jumped from his seat," Thank you Lilah."

  
  


She looked so disappointed and for a moment Lindsey was wracked with guilt until he realised that although she was acting as a friend she was also leading him straight into the arms of the beast. Great trap if it were such and crummy plan if it wasn't. He held out his hand and when she accepted it he shook hers gently.

  
  


"I mean it, thank you."

  
  


"No problem. Try not to get killed okay? Its kinda nice knowing that Lindsey McDonald beat the bastards and lives to tell the tale. You'll be a legend some day," she gave him a sad, wry smile and then followed him to the door, closing it slowly behind him as he raced out into the night.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Twenty-Three.

  
  


The darkness was seriously starting to freak Cordelia out and she could hear her breath increase in speed as she desperately tried to imagine nice things rather than what Jade had mentioned before but her skin was continuing to crawl and the hairs on her arms were standing to attention due to fear.

  
  


She inhaled deeply and blew out a raspy breath in an attempt to calm herself and then strained her ears to hear if Jade was still breathing. She heard the quiet sounds of the girl's breathing and sighed with relief.

  
  


"Talk to me Jade," she begged," If we keep talking it wont seem as bad."

  
  


"I'm so sorry," Jade replied and Cordelia was horrified to hear the listlessness in her voice. Jade had truly given up.

  
  


"Don't be, please, we wanted to help you and we still will, this isn't the end Jade," Cordelia started when suddenly light flooded the room causing her to recoil and shield her eyes from the intensity of the pain it caused her. Suddenly she wanted the darkness to return and cloth her from the brightness.

  
  


"I beg to differ," a voice hissed in her ear and Cordelia gasped and opened her eyes to be met with the vision of Doyle. She gave a frightened mew despite the initial hope that had filled her, she was wise enough to know that this wasn't her Doyle, that this was someone playing games with her head.

  
  


"Lavuc," Jade said desperately," Please leave her alone. Let her go and then I will come back to you."

  
  


"That isn't up for discussion Jade, you don't have a choice," Lavuc snapped and when he turned to look at her in Doyle's form his eyes glowed the angry green that Jade had come to fear and despise.

  
  


"I will never try to escape again if you free her then," Jade continued to press him for Cordelia's release, determined that she should be the only one to suffer at his hands.

  
  


"Oh but its so much fun," Lavuc pouted ironically," You wouldn't want to deny me my amusement would you?"

  
  


"I know you aren't Doyle, what do you take me for some grade A idiot?" Cordelia snapped and felt her heart hurt when she saw Doyle's smile again and his lilting Irish accent as he replied,

  
  


"No princess, I never thought of you as that. It hurts though doesn't it? To see me? To know I died? To remember the agony and the guilt?"

  
  


"Stop this!" Jade screamed and Lavuc spun around in his true form to grab her face with his long taloned hand.

  
  


"You do not tell me what to do!" he roared and Jade felt the blood begin to trickle from underneath his claws," I sometimes wonder why I want you around!"

  
  


"Then do us both a favour and kill me," Jade stared defiantly at the one who regarded himself her keeper.

  
  


"Never going to happen," he hissed and then strode towards the door," I haven't finished having my fun yet....I hope you can take pain Miss Chase as there are people here who wish to ask you questions about Angel."

  
  


Jade searched the room desperately, knowing that Lavuc had only agree to Wolfram and Hart's request on the condition that she was forced to watch Cordelia's torture. Lavuc did nothing for anyone else if he could not get something in return. She closed her eyes and prayed for the first time in centuries, begging the powers that be for some miracle to get them both out of this with Cordelia alive.

  
  


****

  
  


"Do we know of any vacant mansions?" Lindsey asked Wesley impatiently.

  
  


"Gunn is out asking questions as we speak and I have the estate agents website up so that's a couple of avenues of investigation at least," Wesley replied, not taking his eyes from the screen and trying desperately not to feel irritated by Lindsey peering over his shoulder.

  
  


"Beverly Hills," Lindsey repeated for the third time in the space of five minutes and Wesley ground his teeth with annoyance.

  
  


"We know Lindsey," Angel said calmly and led him away from Wesley,"But there are a few houses available at the moment which is why we have Gunn asking around the neighbourhood, okay?"

  
  


"Okay," Lindsey couldn't seem to stay still and Angel decided to occupy his time and attention so that he would not be as impatient.

  
  


"We need to get our weaponry together," Angel decided and led Lindsey to their arsenal,"I'm not sure what will work so go with enough to defeat the guards they are sure to have, and a crossbow or two because I think its safe to assume there will be vampires."

  
  


"Okay," Lindsey seemed to calm down when he had a task to fulfill but his eyes were still frantic," What about Lavuc though?"

  
  


"I'm working on securing us a secret weapon," Angel replied cryptically and started to walk back towards the office.

  
  


"A secret weapon? What is it?" Lindsey asked, desperate for any sense of hope that Angel could give him.

  
  


"A secret," Angel replied with a half smile and then shut the door to the room.

  
  
  
  


Chapter Twenty-Four.

  
  


Jade flinched as she heard the sound of a cracking bone, followed by the ear-shattering scream from Cordelia. Her eyes were wet with tears but there was no way she could help her, although her body was crying out for her to take action.

  
  


"Tell us what we need to know and the pain will stop," Nathan Reed said calmly. He was sat near Jade in a comfy chair he had made an assistant carry in especially for him and he lounged back in it like a don.

  
  


Cordelia shook her head and tried to bite back another scream as the torturer changed tactics and began applying burning hot coals to her arms, she was visibly shaking and her eyes were wide with the agony she was feeling and despite her gallant effort once again the scream split the air of the room.

  
  


"I'm trying to work out whether she is loyal and brave or extremely gullible and stupid," Nathan said to Jade, leaning over to her as if he was conspiring with her about how to handle Cordelia, Jade spat in his face and for a moment felt smug as the anger flashed across the man's eyes," I take it you are going with loyal and brave then."

  
  


He turned his attention back to the vile scene and waited as the coals continued to be applied to Cordelia's skin, this time to her collar bone. Jade tried to ignore the desperation in the stare Cordelia had fixed upon her, but the familiarity of it was too much to bear and she frantically tried to think of a plan.

  
  


"The pain will stop if you tell me what I want to know," Nathan repeated, louder this time and Cordelia fixed her gaze on him for the first time since he had entered. Her voice was raspy as she attempted to speak,

  
  


"Go to hell you son of a bitch," she spat and her head jerked forward as a hand smashed against her back.

  
  


"Insubordination is frowned on by Louis," Nathan said with a smile which made him look like a bald cat who had gotten the cream," Are you enjoying the show Miss Logan? My client stated that this would be quite your thing...."

  
  


"If I get out of this Mr Reed," Jade chose her words carefully, attempting to keep her voice free of emotion," then I will personally tear the cold heart from your chest and feed it to some street dogs."

  
  


"Quite a threat," Nathan laughed and nodded to Louis to continue his earlier action. Jade sobbed silently as Cordelia's screams re-echoed around the room.

  
  


****

  
  


Gunn bounded into the Hyperion and smiled as all eyes rested on him, each one desperate for good news.

  
  


"Found it!" he waved a piece of paper in the air and continued his path down the steps," An old woman remembered that a few nights ago there had been a few comings and goings from this address," he showed it to Angel," Always at night."

  
  


"Did she say anything else?" Angel asked, looking up at Gunn.

  
  


"Only that the previous owners had made no mention of moving and she didn't see them leave..."

  
  


"This is definitely the place then," Angel agreed and stood up to see that both Lindsey and Wesley were already on their feet and ready to go," Lindsey, you got the weapons in the car?"

  
  


"All done and ready to go," Lindsey said and watched as Angel strode towards the door," What about the secret weapon? Aren't you taking it?"

  
  


"Its meeting us there in about an hour, we'll just have to hold out until then."

  
  


Angel walked out into the night with Wesley and Gunn while Lindsey stared at the space he had left for a moment before following them out muttering to himself,

  
  


"Its meeting us there? What is it? Some kind of artificial intelligence thing?"

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter Twenty-Five.

  
  


Cordelia had passed out and in annoyance Nathan had stormed from the room, signalling that Louis should follow him but warning Jade that as soon as Cordy came to then they would commence their torture.

  
  


Jade looked at Cordelia with pity and empathy, the girl's skin was raw with blisters and blood dripped from her broken nose. Her face was already covered with the swollen purple hues of bruises and was starting to look unrecognisable.

  
  


"Oh god, oh god," Jade murmured and wished that she could at least hold her friend in her arms instead of being bound to watch her at a distance," For your own sake Cordelia, don't wake up yet."

  
  


Jade heard the door clatter open and twisted her head to look at whoever had entered, curling her lip in disgust as Lavuc swept into the room.

  
  


"Oh dear," he said coldly," Will you look at what they have done to her?"

  
  


"I've learned my lesson," Jade said unconvincingly," Take me away now and leave her alone."

  
  


"I'm sorry Flora Jade McKenzie but this is nowhere close to being your punishment. You will only have learned not to disobey me once you have been forced to watch each person who helped you die....especially Lindsey, he and Angelus will be killed by my own hand," he stared levelly at her and sneered," and you know how much I have yearned to finish the job I started on Angelus."

  
  


"He isn't Angelus anymore," Jade tried to excuse Angel.

  
  


"No, but he still tried to take you from me," Lavuc snapped," And just incase they manage to get this far..."

  
  


He pointed his fingers at Jade and Cordelia, speaking in tongues as his eyes seemed to illuminate the room. Jade felt her body turn cold and tried to protest as she watched her friend become cocooned in ice, knowing that her own was taking on the same fate.

  
  


"It wont kill you or her Jade, it simply ensures that you will not be rescued," Jade couldn't speak or see anything but smudged edges of things she knew were in the room and even though she ached to move her head it was impossible," Now they are on their way so I should think this will be over soon and I will come for you once I have them subdued, I wouldn't want you to miss the final act."

  
  


****

  
  


The car pulled up at the bottom of the hill, out of sight of the large mansion. Lindsey peered up at it and fought with the urge to jump out of the car and rush headlong into battle. Angel was repeating the plan he had formed and Lindsey knew he should follow it carefully, after all he had been witness to the way Angel Investigations took on evil and won.

  
  


"So when is she arriving?" Wesley asked Angel and Lindsey stared at them both in confusion until realisation hit him and he started to feel anger at being left out in the cold.

  
  


"So the secret weapon is a she?" he snapped testily," Y'know it would be nice if you let me in your secret club, at least until we have rescued Jade and we can leave."

  
  


"I didn't tell you Lindsey because you don't really know her and I thought it better that you see her power for yourself instead of worrying you with things that don't matter," Angel explained rationally, making Lindsey feel like a stupid child.

  
  


"Oh," he said quietly," So who is she?"

  
  


Angel was staring out of the car window when he nodded at the figure of a girl walking down the hill. Lindsey stared at her and wondered how this frail little red haired dressed in hippy clothing could possibly be their secret weapon. Surely Angel couldn't be seriously considering sending her up against Lavuc.

  
  


Angel signalled to everyone that they get out of the car and smiled as he stepped out onto the sidewalk, opening his arms wide as the girl raced towards him. She flew into his arms and hugged him tightly, neither of them speaking for what seemed like an eternity to Lindsey. He coughed impatiently and Angel seemed to snap out of the daze he was in, turning around so that Lindsey could see the girl up close for the first time and he was amazed at the goodness which shone from her smile.

  
  


"Lindsey meet Willow. Willow, Lindsey," Angel introduced them and Willow took Lindsey's hand and gently shook it, straightening her back and widening her smile.

  
  


"Pleased to meet you," she said then turned back to Angel," Okay so I've got a few ideas from what you told me about Lavuc but all of them rely on you occupying his attention long enough for me to take him by surprise."

  
  


"How? What?" Lindsey spluttered, still not understanding why Angel had brought a young girl into their battle.

  
  


"Willow is a Wiccan," Angel explained at last," Her powers have been steadily growing so I think she is our best bet," he noticed the intrepedation pass across Willow's face making her look like the shy, nervous girl he had met so many years before,"Not our only bet Willow."

  
  


"Oh good," she smiled and relaxed again," Well lets do this shall we?"

  
  


Lindsey retrieved the weapons from the trunk of the car and they all selected one or two, securing stakes into their inside pockets, before starting to walk up the hill towards the looming building.

  
  


"So how are things?" Angel asked Willow and felt his heart ache as he saw the grief pass across her face.

  
  


"Strange, empty," Willow replied," But the same. The battle still goes on, we've been patrolling and things...Giles isn't coping as well...and Spike...."

"Spike?" Angel stared at Willow in disbelief.

  
  


"Oh it doesn't matter, he's still helping us and looking out for Dawn...."

  
  


"What?" Angel grabbed Willow by the shoulders and spun her to look at him," I don't understand....Spike is _helping_ you? And you trust him to look after Dawn? What have I missed Willow?"

  
  


"Oh the chippy thing has made him kinda good," Willow started walking again, explaining things in a way only she could,"Though I think he's only doing it because of the promise he made to Buffy..."

  
  


"Promise? To Buffy?" Angel remained standing where he had stopped Willow and she looked back at him.

  
  


"Now isn't the time for this Angel," she said firmly," I will tell you everything later okay? Right now we have a battle to win."

  
  


"Right," Angel nodded though he still felt hurt that he knew so little of what had happened in Sunnydale after he had left, he felt left out and started to understand how Lindsey must have felt with his little 'secret weapon' game," but Spike?"

  
  


"Later," Willow said and continued walking.


End file.
